Fathers
by OnceinYourLife
Summary: "I love my son, and my son loves Blaine. He matters to me." While the glee club is in New York, Burt receives an unexpected visitor.
1. The Garage

Hey, guys! This is my first Glee fanfiction, and I'm pretty excited about it! Please, please, please give me your feedback – positive, negative, all of it! Enjoy!

This one-shot is set during next week's episode, while the New Directions are in New York for Nationals.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, of course.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Hummel?"<p>

I knew the voice immediately, but I couldn't place why it would be resounding through my shop in the middle of a workday. I was underneath a car that needed to be finished quickly, so I didn't budge. Whatever he had to say could be said from where I was.

"That's me."

"Um... it's... Blaine, sir."

"I got that much. You want to tell me what you're doing here?"

"I brought you coffee."

_Coffee?_ My son's boyfriend just brought me coffee at four P.M. on a Thursday? The car could wait.

I slid out from underneath the car to get a good look at the boy who was visiting his boyfriend's father at work. _Again._ His Dalton uniform was perfectly pressed, his hair gelled, and he held a cup of coffee for me, with the word "Burt" scribbled across it. But for the first time, there was something off about Blaine. There was an overwhelming look of defeat in his eyes, and a purple bruise had formed on his jawline.

"You alright, kid?"

"I'm fine," he said as he flashed another one of his winning smiles.

I took the coffee, knowing the boy was lying right to my face.

"Thanks for _this_, I guess. But, uh, any other reason you're here?"

He looked stunned. He hadn't thought that part through.

"Oh, well... you know, I just figured we kind of had something in common this weekend. We, um... we both miss Kurt."

"He's just in New York, Blaine. He'll be back Monday..."

A flash of realization overtook his face.

"Yeah- yeah, of course. Wow, I'm... really sorry to have barged in on you like this... and at work. I'm always doing that to people for some reason. Sorry... sorry again, Mr. Hummel. I'll just... go."

He turned to leave, and I knew that, regardless of how much work I had to finish today, I couldn't let him go without getting to the real reason he had come in the first place.

"You gonna tell me who sucker punched you?"

He stopped in his tracks.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me, kid. Your jaw."

He stayed confident, and I assumed he was going to bullshit me with the same fake story he'd told everyone else.

"Um... no. No, I'd rather not."

I was stunned by the answer. _No? _He wanted me to fish for the real answer myself instead of feeding me a fake one. I was actually sort of flattered.

"Alright... then at least stay. Tell me something else."

He looked absolutely terrified at the idea, but I couldn't let him leave without knowing whether or not he was actually okay.

I love my son, and my son loves Blaine. He matters to me.

"Something else?"

"Yeah, you know, Kurt tells me a lot, but I don't feel like I really know you. You're at the house all the time, and you've been dating my son for over a month. Tell me something about yourself that I don't already know."

I pretended to get back to work, hopefully to make the kid more comfortable talking to me, but was completely focused on his answer.

"Um, I don't really know. I guess... I like football. Did you already know that?"

"Yeah, Finn told me you guys have been watching the games, even trying to get Kurt into them," I said with a chuckle.

Finn was easy to relate to; Kurt was damn near impossible if you didn't know how to get around the barriers he'd built for himself. And somehow this kid had figured out a way to mildly interest Kurt in _football_. It was almost unheard of.

He was a keeper.

"Oh, yeah, Finn's a good guy. He and Kurt get along surprisingly well, considering."

"You're right. They're good brothers."

He nodded.

"They've got good parents."

It was subtle, but I know I heard Blaine's voice falter ever so slightly when he said the last word. _Parents._

"You wanna sit down?"

He sat on an old stool, still nursing his own coffee, finally warming up to this conversation.

I didn't want to dive right into the subject, but I was curious. Kurt had never mentioned Blaine's parents, and I was fairly certain he hadn't even met them. The only thing I knew was that Blaine's relationship with his father was strained to say the least, as he'd told me the last time we'd been here. It was a good start.

"Tell me about yours. They good parents too?"

"My parents?"

He seemed surprised by the question, like no one had ever asked it before.

"Oh, um, well... my dad's all business, you know. He's a banker. We don't really see eye to eye on a lot of things, but he tries, I guess."

I remembered Blaine telling me his father had tried to _change_ him. I couldn't understand it. You love your kid for your kid, no matter what.

"And your mom?"

He considered the question, and his brow furrowed in uncertainty.

"I have no idea."

I turned to look at him.

"No idea?"

"She... left when I was three. Moved to Michigan, re-married, and she's got three new kids now."

"You keep in touch with her?"

"Nope, just a birthday and Christmas card from her every year."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You ever try to contact her yourself?"

"I only have her address from the return labels. I've sent her letters. I don't even know how many. Hundreds, maybe thousands... but she's never responded. Maybe she never even read them."

And my heart shattered. I knew what it was like for a kid to grow up without a mom. I knew what it was like for my son to think about his mom every single day of his life, wondering how things might have been different if he could hug her when he woke up every morning, tell her about his day, and hear all about hers. I couldn't imagine what it was like for Blaine to think about her every day, knowing that she was alive and well but just didn't care enough about her son to respond to one letter.

_What kind of mother abandons her kid?_

My hand shook around the wrench I was holding, and he noticed.

"I honestly don't think about it as much as I used to. Once she stopped signing the cards, I knew it was time to abandon the idea that she might actually come back one day."

I had to form my words very carefully. Perfectly.

"She's missing out, you know. You're a great kid. You've been great to Kurt. I've never seen him as happy as he is with you."

"Thank you, Mr. Hummel."

"Burt."

He laughed.

"Burt, right. Thank you, Burt."

But I wasn't done.

"And you and your old man don't get along too great?"

He hesitated, and the defeat returned to his eyes.

"It could be worse."

And with that, all of the pieces fell together. The coffee, the hesitation, the bruise, the defeat... the need to talk to a father he could trust.

I turned to look him square in the eyes. I needed him to know how invested I was, and I needed to see his reaction.

"He do that to your face?"

Terror swept his features for less than a second, and my suspicion was immediately confirmed.

"What are you talking about?"

"He hits you, doesn't he? Your own..."

I exhaled deeply, trying to keep my cool.

"Goddammit, I can't believe Kurt didn't tell me about this."

He looked at me like he'd just shattered a vase and was about to blame the cat.

"Mr. Hummel, my father doesn't hit me. It was an... it was just an accident, honestly."

I was livid. This kid had been betrayed by the only person left in his life who was supposed to love him unconditionally. It was too much.

"What, he just got mad this one time? _You _screwed up, right? He told you that you had it coming? For what? For being gay?"

"Mr. Hummel -"

"How many times, Blaine? How often does this happen?"

"It's... it's not what you think."

Tears were slowly welling up in his eyes.

"Then what is it?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here."

"Don't move, young man."

He was paralyzed. He was the perfect son on paper. Smart, obedient, polite, charming. There was just one problem. He didn't fit that overwhelming expectation his father had for him. _Perfection_ included bringing home a nice girl who would give him grandchildren and carry on his name. Blaine couldn't give him that.

"How many times, Blaine?"

"I... I don't know. I just..."

He took a deep breath, trying as hard as he could himself from completely losing it in the middle of my shop.

"Let it out, kid."

"I didn't come here to... to cry to you. I just wanted some kind of... I don't know, something like Kurt talks about when he talks about you. I wanted to know what he meant for myself. How understanding and open you guys are."

He took another deep breath.

"I told him about Kurt. He didn't know, and I told him, and he just... well, it wasn't a good time to tell him. I shouldn't have said anything. I knew I shouldn't have said anything. I was so stupid. I just blurted it out, and the next thing I knew, he was... _raging_. Absolutely raging."

He choked on the words and winced at the memories.

"Blaine, take a breath. You don't have to say anymore."

He bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, slowly shaking his head back and forth. He collapsed back onto the stool.

I couldn't understand his complexities, and I had no idea how much of this Kurt knew. As soon as Kurt got home, I'd sit him down, and we'd have a long talk. I knew it'd take hours with Kurt's avoidance issues and protectiveness over Blaine, but it wasn't optional.

"God, I just feel stupid about this whole thing. I- I really appreciate you listening to me, Mr. Hummel."

"I told you. Burt."

"Burt."

I sighed.

"You have no reason to feel stupid, Blaine."

I paused.

"You love my son, right?"

It was a question that didn't even need to be asked.

"Yes, sir."

"If your father can't accept that, then he's a... he's a _neanderthal_, as Kurt would say."

For one second, I swore I saw a smile tickle his lips.

"I don't think he'd appreciate that very much."

He wiped his eyes.

"Well, he won't have to, because you're not going back there."

"I'm sorry?"

"You're staying at my house until _I_ have a word with him and take you to a doctor."

"That's... that's really not necessary, seriously."

"It's more than necessary. Do you actually think I'd let you go back to that?"

"I- I don't... no one's ever-"

"There's no argument, Blaine. The shop can do without me for a few hours. Come on, I'll drive."

"Mr. Hum- Burt, I... I promise I won't let you down. I won't let Kurt down."

"You could never let me down, son."

The word reverberated in Blaine's chest as he let out a sigh. A weight was suddenly lifted from his shoulders and thrown onto mine.

But I didn't mind. And I know I never will.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


	2. The Doctor

Okay, you guys are SO awesome that I just had to continue this fic! Seriously, all of the reviews and "favorite story"-ings have made my day so fantastic! You guys are the best! I hope you'll keep enjoying what's in store!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

><p>Blaine was silent in the car.<p>

His hands were folded in his lap and his head was bowed, deep in thought.

I wanted to shake him out of it, say anything to make him feel better, but the words weren't coming to me. I was never great with words. Especially in gentle situations. I could yell at some punk all day, but when it got emotional, I'd always say the wrong thing, stumble over my sentences, and lose whatever battle I was fighting. I couldn't screw this up. He was fragile enough already, and one misstep could destroy his trust in me.

I decided to go for it.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

He sighed and shook off his daze.

"Sorry, I'm just a little... overwhelmed right now." He paused. "I don't know if this is really such a good idea."

"Why's that?"

I could feel him slipping away from me.

"Because... because I can't tell anyone about this."

The fear had returned and taken over his entire being.

"He's going to..."

I braced myself for the worst.

"Oh my God, what am I doing? I've got to get out- please-"

I'd screwed it all up. He was scrambling in his seat, fervent to leave me behind, pretend like he'd never talked to me today. I'd lost him.

"Blaine, hey, hey, calm down. Come on-"

"Please, just stop the car, just-"

I grabbed his shoulder and tried to hold him still.

"I'm not stopping the car. I need you to listen to me for one second, okay?"

He took a deep breath, and I saw the fresh batch of tears that had formed in his eyes.

"Let's just go to the doctor. We're not going to tell anyone anything until you and I have a serious talk, alright?"

He considered my offer very carefully. I needed him to hear me out.

"Can you promise me that?"

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I can, yeah. Yeah, I can promise you that."

And he was silent again.

I didn't dare say anything else until we got to the doctor's office. I was taking him to Kurt's doctor, his uncle on his mother's side. We got lucky. He wouldn't require paper work, and I'd already called him so he'd be ready for us without a wait. Family's a powerful thing.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I turned off the ignition, and Blaine remained motionless.

"You ready?"

Without a word, he unbuckled his seatbelt and followed me into the office, hands in his pockets and eyes averted.

Mike was waiting for us in the lobby. Apparently it was a slow day.

"Burt, hey, and this must be..."

"Blaine," I provided.

"Nice to meet you, Blaine."

Blaine hesitated, unsure if this was a moment to be himself or put on the brave face and shake the man's hand as if he was the king of England.

He flashed that phony smile.

"Nice to meet you too, sir."

I knew this was going to be difficult. The kid reverted around strangers. They knew nothing about him, and he had the politeness act down so perfectly that he could even fool someone he was about to be extremely vulnerable in front of. There was no hope left that he'd tell Mike about what was really going on, so I knew I wouldn't be leaving his side.

We went back into an exam room, and Blaine was ordered to show all of his bruises.

I knew there was more than the jaw. A maniac never just gets one punch in, especially if his target is completely defenseless.

Blaine wasn't sure if he could bear to show them all. I wasn't sure if I could take it either.

"Do what he says, Blaine."

Obedience.

Blaine handed me his blazer, tie, and crisp white shirt to reveal an array of purple. I was horrified and covered my mouth with my hand to repress any sudden thoughts. But he couldn't get through this if I couldn't. It was my turn to put on the brave face, even if what I saw in front of me shook me to my core. He looked at me with wide, almost apologetic eyes. He never wanted to inconvenience anyone, never wanted anyone to suffer on his behalf.

I nodded his way. Everything was going to be alright. I'd made him a promise.

Mike poked around at the bruises, took a few x-rays, and sent us on our way with a partially fractured rib and some medicine for the pain.

He privately assured me that there was nothing to worry about, and we'd take care of the financial issues later.

"Just keep him away from the asshole who did that to him, alright?"

"Sure thing, Mike. I can't thank you en-"

"Don't mention it, seriously. Just take care."

We spent the entire ride home in silence. I knew he needed to think, needed his space. Kurt needed more space than any person I'd ever met, and giving that to him was one thing I was particularly good at.

By the time we got to the house, it was well past seven, and I had clearly heard the boy's stomach growl.

"Does dinner sound good to you right now?" I asked.

He smiled. _Thank God._

"I can't think of anything better right about now."

Carole had left a wide selection of meals for me, knowing that going _five days_ without her cooking might just drive me to cannibalism.

I let Blaine show me how to prepare the food. Although Carole had left instructions so specific that even _Finn_ could follow them, I wanted him to feel at home. I needed him to relax and bond with me if I was ever going to convince him that confronting his father was unavoidable.

We sat down to eat, and I figured now was as good a time as any to ask the big questions.

"Blaine, son, we've got to-"

He cut me off. I knew that if he wanted to speak, I had to listen. His point of view was more important than mine. This was his life.

"I know, I know. Uh," he cleared his throat. "Can I be really honest with you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, of course."

"Okay... I know where you're coming from, Mr. Hummel. I know why you're upset, and I know that you're looking out for me and everything. I just... I just can't let you tell my father that any of this ever happened. Please, he's... he's all I've got, and I know he's not perfect, but I know he's trying hard to... to get better. He just... God, it's so much more complicated than I can explain."

I was boxed in, and my inability to form the right words was overwhelming me. I tried to think back to the time I'd yelled at my stepson for harassing my son. I'd come through in a clutch moment when the person I love more than anything in the world really needed me. I had to translate that feeling to this situation.

"Tell me something, Blaine. If you saw my son beaten to hell, what would you do to the person who did that to him?"

"I'd kill him."

The answer was immediate.

"Exactly. Then why is your well-being any less important than Kurt's?"

"It's diff-"

"It's not different. You feel like you're trapped in a terrible situation. The worst situation. You can't stay like this, and you know it, but you think so little of yourself that you won't admit that you deserve something better. You do, Blaine, alright? You deserve to be happy and safe all the time. You deserve to be surrounded by people that love you. Because you love my son. And if you're not okay, he's not okay. And if he's not okay, I'm sure as hell not okay. We've got to get on the same page here, kid. You've got to trust me that I'm not going to do anything to hurt you. I would never let anything bad happen to you. Do you understand that?"

I wasn't even completely sure where I'd come up with that. Clutch.

He was a broken kid. He wanted so badly to just let the tears take over him and latch onto me like his life depended on it. He wanted to have been the kind of person who was raised to believe that sometimes you've just got to break down and be completely honest with your emotions, no matter who's watching. You've got to let the dam break.

He couldn't look at me.

"How would you go about doing that?" he asked, almost inaudibly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Never letting anything bad happen to me. How can _you_ protect me from him any more than I can?" His voice was clear and powerful now.

He was almost angry at me. Angry at the words, angry at the circumstances, angry at his father, angry at himself.

This question was huge. A question much bigger than any I'd expected to answer when I woke up this morning. And it needed an answer just as big.

The idea had been nagging at the back of my mind since the moment it all clicked. I couldn't believe what was about to come out of my mouth.

"You'll move in here."

He looked like a deer in the headlights. He'd never been presented with an offer anything like it. A legitimate guarantee that he'd be safe, no question about it. His mind was racing at the possibilities. The freedom from fear, the acceptance. But I knew a part of him didn't even believe that I was actually making the proposition. It was too good to be true.

"I can't-"

"Yes, you can. Kurt'd be thrilled. Finn might be a little peeved that he'll have to share a bathroom, but he'll get over it. And I'll sleep better at night knowing you're under my roof, safely in bed as well."

He smiled.

"Look, I'm not letting you go back to an abusive house, Blaine. That's a fact. That's an unbreakable promise. I just need you to let me help you. I can't keep it if you won't agree."

This was real. I couldn't believe what I was proposing myself. _My son's boyfriend was moving in? _I was adding another mouth to feed, another body to clothe, another mind to worry about. But there was no other option. Foster care was out of the question, and he had no one else.

I just needed him to look at me.

"I can't-"

"Blaine."

He nodded and squeezed his eyes shut tight. He covered them with his hands, and I could feel the water splashing over the edges. He was so close to a breaking point.

_Come on, kid._

His shoulders heaved, and the sobs wracked his small frame.

And the dam was broken.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading and for all of the support!<p> 


	3. The Lists

Thanks so much to everyone who's still reading and reviewing! You guys make this story, so keep it up!

This chapter is a bit shorter than the others and is more of something that was just necessary to keep everything believable rather than a chapter that particularly drove the plot forward. I promise the next one will be very juicy and contain more interactions with the rest of the Hudson-Hummel clan!

Thanks again for all of the support - it means so much more to me than you'll ever know!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

><p>I had a lot of phone calls to make.<p>

For some reason, the amount of time I'd be spending on the phone was flooding my mind. I was trying to make a list of everything that needed to be done. Kurt was so much better at organizing than I was. I was stumped with the overwhelming number of things I'd already written on the yellow legal pad in front of me, knowing I was forgetting about a hundred more. The dim light from the honey jar lamp was reminding me just how tiring this was going to be. I rubbed my eyes in frustration.

There'd be guardianship papers, property issues, insurance filings, medical records, lawyers... I couldn't keep it all straight. I needed my family home with me. I needed Kurt to comfort Blaine. I needed my wife to comfort me. And I needed Finn to liven up the house with the constant sound of his video games and wonderfully stupid remarks.

But it'd all have to wait until Monday.

It was still Thursday, and there were calls I knew I needed to make before the start of the weekend.

Carole was a huge one. This was a lot to drop on her shoulders too. I knew that once I explained the situation, she'd understand it even more than I did and throw herself into making Blaine feel like one of the family. Carole was just perfect like that. I knew she'd be awake for awhile, New York or not, and had planned to call her as soon as I was satisfied with my list.

The clock was inching toward midnight, and the only people who knew about the new addition to the Hudson-Hummel household were its two current residents.

Blaine was curled up on the couch with the television on. His breathing was heavy, and I knew he had finally fallen asleep.

I'd offered him Kurt's bedroom, but he refused to impose on his boyfriend's private space. I'd almost reminded him that he'd slept there once before, but I thought better of it. That was a conversation I had saved for another day.

The idea of Kurt and his boyfriend living under the same roof was something I was understandably less than comfortable with. It had nothing to do with the fact that they're two guys, of course, I just didn't like to think about how much easier it'd be for them to "be together" when they would literally be together all the time. The three of us would sit down, and I would set very strict guidelines for their _togetherness_. I just had to figure out what those would actually be first.

Blaine and I had a long talk that night, once he was ready. Plans for the next day, Kurt, the Warblers... I let him lead and tried my best to find something to contribute to the conversation. It felt good and even _right_, almost like I'd been talking to him about everyday things for my entire life.

Suddenly, a phone buzzed from the coffee table. Blaine awoke immediately and sleepily fumbled with the device.

"Mmmm, hello? ... What? No, no, you didn't wake me up. How's New York? Tell me everything."

He sat up and turned the television off, fully aware and ready to have a full conversation with Kurt even though he _had _just been asleep... and asleep on the caller's couch at that. Always accommodating.

"No way! No he- ... she _what_? ... Oh my God, Kurt. I do not believe that for one second!"

He was laughing, smiling at every word my son was saying to him. I wished he could act the way he did when he was on the phone with Kurt all the time. The light had returned to his eyes and the smile was far from phony. Those two were in love.

"Oh yeah? ... Tell Finn and Carole I said hi too."

He looked my way.

"Hey, Kurt. Could you hold on for just one second?"

He left the phone on the couch and came into the kitchen.

"Um, Mr. Hummel... have you talked to Kurt yet?"

"No, not yet." I sighed, "You'd only been asleep for about forty-five minutes."

"Well, what should I say to him? I don't want to freak him out since Nationals is so soon, and I don't-"

"Blaine, don't worry about it. Just tell him the truth. You're at home, you're safe. I don't know. Tell him about school. Let me handle the details."

He looked skeptical at the idea of lying to Kurt, but I knew the word _home _had value to him. And besides, it wasn't really lying. I was going to have a long talk with Kurt the next day. There was no use getting him upset this late at night. Both of the boys needed a good night's sleep.

Blaine nodded and went back to the phone.

"Hey, sorry, I'm back. ... Oh, no, nothing like that. Just a- you know, don't worry about it."

Eventually, Blaine had to hang up the phone, and the sadness returned to his features.

At that moment, I needed Kurt to get home more than I'd ever needed anything else.

Blaine returned to the kitchen and sat down across from me.

"Not as hard as you'd expected it to be?"

He smiled.

"Surprisingly, no. I think tomorrow's conversation probably will be, though."

"You're telling me."

A pause.

"What are you working on?"

"Just organizing a few things. Do you feel up to helping me out a little bit right now?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. Anything."

I knew I shouldn't have exploited his constant need to satisfy, but I'd already promised him that he didn't have to go to school the next day and there were things that needed to be accomplished while he slept.

"Alright, first. Dalton."

"Uh, tuition's paid for the rest of the year, and I'm fairly certain it's non-refundable. So, I'll stay for my last few weeks, and I guess-"

"Transfer to McKinley next year."

He hesitated. "Right."

Of course he didn't want to leave Dalton. He didn't want to leave his friends or the Warblers just to be thrown back into another public school that, Bullywhips or not, would taunt him for being both the new kid _and _for holding hands with my son in the hallways. But he did have my son and those New Directions kids. Finn was always looking out for Kurt, and now he'd just have to look out for Blaine too. They'd adjust.

"Next, there's still a lot of -"

As he tried his best to stifle a yawn, I thought better of trying to coax him for more information. He looked exhausted, and the bruise on his face was only getting worse, regardless of all of the ice packs he'd put on it. He needed to go back to sleep. We both did.

"Look, let's do this tomorrow. We can worry about it then."

He stood to leave the kitchen but turned back to me.

"You... haven't talked to my dad yet, have you?"

"Nope, that's first thing on the list for tomorrow."

He squirmed a bit, and I knew there was something he wasn't telling me.

"Have you?"

He nodded.

"I just told him I was at Dalton for the night, and I'd be home for dinner tomorrow."

I sighed. It's not like I could expect the kid to read my mind, but didn't he realize that the whole point of everything we'd done that day was to get him away from his father? Fear can really take over a person, and when that fear is coupled with all of the shit Mr. Anderson had obviously warped his son into believing, Blaine had no chance of coming out of this unscathed emotionally. He'd always do what his father said, as long as his father was the one saying it.

"Let me handle him, alright? If he talks to you again, I need you to tell me about it."

"I'm really sorry, I just-"

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Blaine. Get some sleep, and we'll handle it tomorrow."

"Mr. Hum-," he sighed, "Burt, I, uh... I wanted to thank you. I don't know how to say it enough, but... no one has ever cared about me as much as you and your family have, and I can't shake the feeling that in a few minutes I'm just going to wake up and none of this will have actually happened. And I _know _that that's cheesy or whatever. Kurt's always telling me to stop being so cheesy."

He smiled.

"I'm just... I'm just looking for some way to repay you."

That was all I needed to hear to know that everything I'd scribbled on that yellow legal pad, all of the phone calls, all of the extra worries, was more than worth it. They weren't burdens. They were gifts.

"Just be good to my kid, alright?"

He smiled again.

"I plan on it, sir."

"Good. Now... go to sleep. Big day tomorrow."

"Yeah." he said. "Goodnight, Burt."

"Goodnight, Blaine."

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and please review if you get the chance!<p> 


	4. The House

I've finally got chapter four for you! This is the longest chapter yet, and I really hope you like it. I promise it gets to Kurt and also clears up some of the questions you guys have asked me. I hope everyone LOVED the Klaine scene we got in last night's finale (I know I did!), and even though it doesn't really work with this story (yet!)... well, I hope you still enjoy what I'm writing! I AM going to incorporate that scene into future chapters, I promise! Also, I know there was nothing in the finale about Carole being with them in New York, but that was "supposed" to be part of the episode. So, maybe they just cut it out or it was one of those fake spoilers to mess with all the fans! Anyway, keep believing that Carole was there in terms of this fic, please. :)

And I promise that in the next chapter Carole, Finn, and Kurt will return from New York!

Enjoy, and I can't wait to hear your feedback!

* * *

><p>The house was almost a mansion.<p>

Kurt had never told me how wealthy Blaine's family was. I mean, I knew they had enough for the steep tuition at Dalton, but I had no idea they had anything like that.

As I pulled my truck into the driveway, I felt like I'd just shown up at a wedding in swim trunks.

It was all planned perfectly. Blaine had assured me there'd be no chance his father would be home, so he'd be able to grab everything he needed without any difficulty.

I'd talked to the man that morning. I knew that one phone call wouldn't be the end all confrontation, but I had to start somewhere. I talked to the man as calmly as I could, hoping that my restraint might make things slightly easier for the kid, and I could almost _hear_ him cowering in fear over the phone. I talked to him for over an hour, and every time I started screaming, I could hear Kurt's voice in my ear, urging me to think of my heart and calm the hell down. I'd take a deep breath, and we'd keep talking. In the end, I gave him two options: let me break both of his legs and spend a great deal of his life in prison or do exactly as I said.

Judging by the house and the overwhelming evidence against him, I understood why he'd chosen the latter, materialistically at least.

We were still driving toward his house when I first told Blaine about my conversation with his father.

He was surprised at how simple it all seemed, and, regardless of everything he'd been through, a part of him was almost disappointed.

"He gave up that easily?"

A part of _me _didn't really understand the question.

"I just mean... he didn't fight for me at all?" he asked quietly.

I couldn't believe I hadn't thought about that for even a moment. _Of course._ He'd been abandoned once before, and now it was just another parent who was perfectly fine without him. How did I not realize that'd upset him? My huge mistake was clear in my face, and he noticed.

"No, no, you're right. I'm... being stupid. Take the next left."

"Son, you have every right to be upset. I don't want you holding in all these emotions, alright? You know they'll drive you crazy one day."

"Thank you, but... I'm fine, really."

I was terrible with avoidance issues, and I had no idea how Kurt and Blaine worked so well together when both of them were constantly covering up their feelings. Maybe I just didn't get it. Maybe they talked to _each other_ about their deep feelings all the time, and those things just weren't in my ballpark. I liked to think that was true. He'd just have to hold it in for a little bit longer, just until Kurt got home.

We spent the rest of the ride in silence, and I tried to hide my awe at the sheer enormity of the house so as not to make him feel even worse about what he was leaving behind.

He let me in and went straight to his room. He immediately started piling his belongings into suitcases, and _I_ immediately felt like a severely unwanted guest in that cold, enormous house.

I silently wondered if Blaine always felt that way.

His room was similar to Kurt's only in that it looked like it had been taken directly from a catalogue, but it was almost as if Blaine didn't really _want_ it to look that way. The only thing that really looked like Blaine was a bulletin board of photos ranging from Kurt to Dalton and even a few from his old school.

I realized that I didn't really know much about Blaine from before his time at Dalton. I knew he'd been bullied out of public school, but I wondered why his father had even _bothered_ with private school. What was the point of saving your son from getting the crap beaten out of him at school if you're just going to beat the crap out of him at home?

"Hey, kid, can I ask you something?" I asked as I helped him fold his clothes.

"Shoot."

"Dalton. What happened to get you there?"

He was silent. That was probably a mistake on my part, but if this was going to work, I couldn't deal with random bombshells in the future. Get them all out, and leave the memories behind in that house.

"I thought Kurt told you about the Sadie Hawkins dance."

"He did."

He looked puzzled but continued.

"Well, I was in the hospital for a couple of days, and I just couldn't go back. Dalton was actually my dad's alma mater. He'd been trying to convince me to go there before the bullying even started, but I didn't want to leave my friends or my fake girlfriend at the time, and, well... he respected that. But that... that _attack_ had to be the end of the fight for me. I'd _just_ come out, and though he wasn't pleased with it, well... I guess he just figured that I'd get all of the gay out at school, and I could come _home_ and be more like who he wanted me to be."

He almost laughed. "Obviously, it didn't quite work out that way."

He paused, clearly with the intent to say something else. I remained quiet.

"You know, a part of me is actually looking forward to going to McKinley."

That wasn't even close to what I thought he would say, but I went along with it.

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

"I don't really know, exactly. There's a certain... _freedom_ in New Directions that you just don't get with the Warblers. They all really listen to each other, and individuality is huge. It took me months just to remember all of the Warblers' names. They all sort of... look a like at first, you know?"

"Yeah... I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that."

He smiled.

"Plus, I'll be there to protect Kurt."

I had always assumed that Blaine would be the one who needed protecting, but he clearly thought differently. I was glad the boy was so protective of my son, but I didn't want him getting himself into fights he had no chance of winning. Let Finn and the football guys take care of the Karofsky's of Lima.

Kurt had always described Blaine as his _rock_. He'd been there for him in ways that no one else could, and he stepped up at prom to dance with my son in front of that whole school. He'd fought his own demons, and as a result was the only reason Kurt was able to find the strength to fight his. However strong Blaine was for Kurt, _I_ could see the cracks forming. He wasn't the "Blaine superhero" Kurt always said he was. He was just as broken as Kurt, and he was just as scared.

But a part of him was also right. I needed to stop thinking of Kurt and Blaine as _victims_. They were men, and they could fight their own battles. It was just that I'd always seen my son as the little boy who'd served me cupcakes at our tea parties, who'd asked for a sensible pair of heels, and who'd been coordinating colors since before he could talk.

Kurt was all grown up, and so was Blaine. I'd have a lot of trouble accepting that in the years to come.

"... and _that's _why Marion Cotillard's _Vogue_ cover is undoubtedly the best of the year." He paused. "Um, Burt? Mr. Hummel... are you alright?"

"Hm, what?"

"You were kind of in a daze."

I looked around the room, and most of Blaine's things had already been completely packed.

"Sorry about that. Just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"That, uh... that _Vogue_ cover. Keep going."

I let him talk me to death about all of the things I felt like I'd heard from Kurt already but knew Blaine had never talked about with anyone _but _Kurt.

I packed all of his stuff in the back of my truck and let him have a few minutes to get one last look at the house. I didn't even let myself begin to relate to how he was feeling. Anything I could feel would only be maximized ten times over for him.

When I loaded the last of the stuff, I cranked the ignition as a cue for him to join me for the long drive home.

He brought out two sodas and plopped down in the passenger seat with his phony smile plastered across his face.

"One for the road," he said as he handed me the drink.

"Thanks."

He opened his soda, and I turned the car off.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Blaine, I need you to be straight with me. Are you alright?" I paused. "And tell me the truth."

The smile slid from his features, but I knew it was for the best. We had to do this eventually, and I wasn't going to sit in this car with an elephant between us the whole ride home.

He was quiet.

"No, no, not really," he hesitated. "But I will be. It's just going to... to take some getting used to. I promise you I'll be alright. Really. I just need some time."

I sighed.

"Take all the time you need, okay?"

He nodded, and we spent the rest of the car ride listening to the NBA coverage. It felt so easy. I knew it would be nothing but the opposite, but I've learned that sometimes you've just got to be in denial about certain things to make life a little bit more bearable. Blaine taught me that.

When we got back to the house, it was already dark. Over another one of Carole's meals, Blaine and I decided that it was time to talk to Kurt. I told him all about my discussion with Carole the night before and how she was determined to do anything and everything it took to make him feel at home and had also promised not to say anything to her stepson or son.

We agreed that I'd talk to him first to deal with the initial shock, and then I'd hand the reigns over to Blaine for both of them to get all of the major emotions out. Kurt would need to coo, and Blaine needed someone who really got his situation to just _listen_ and tell him everything was going to be alright. As much as I wished that person could be me, that I could make all the kid's problems disappear, I knew that was much better suited for Kurt.

As I dialed the phone, I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. Blaine was sitting in the living room, and I had retreated to my bedroom to have Kurt to myself.

"Hey, Dad. How's holding down the fort? I have _so _much to tell you. You're never going to believe this. Rachel and I-"

"Kurt, buddy, I'm gonna have to cut you off. There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh my God. Is it Aunt Mildred?"

"What? Aunt Mildred, no. Look, I don't really know how to put this other than, well, uh... _it's a boy!_"

He was silent.

"Dad, I don't think I follow."

I sighed. "Blaine's here."

"Blaine's at the house?"

"Blaine's moved in."

Silence.

"To... our house."

More silence.

"Kurt?"

I heard him try to muffle a sob through the receiver, and I knew then that Blaine's situation wasn't news to him.

"It's his dad, isn't it? God, I... I wanted to tell you. I'm so sorry. I should have told you so much sooner. This is all my fault. Is he okay? Is he hurt? Can I talk to him, please?"

"Calm down, buddy. He's alright. He's just a little bruised up, and you can talk to him in a few minutes. I just need to say a couple of things first."

I heard him sit down and imagined him nodding through the phone.

"First, are you okay with this? I know this is huge for your... relationship. And I'm serious, Kurt, if you're going to be uncomfortable, we will figure something else out."

"What? No, no, of course I'm okay with it. This is _Blaine_ we're talking about, Dad."

"Hey, just checking. Next, I've gotta know, have you ever actually met Blaine's dad? Is there anything you haven't told me that I need to know?"

"No, I've never met him. Blaine only even told me about the... you know... last week when we were- well, when I noticed a bruise, and he totally broke down. He made me promise that I wouldn't tell anyone about it as long as he promised me that _he'd_ be the one to do it. But I never imagined he'd come to you. How did you find out?"

I sighed.

"That's a story I'll save for when you're home. Kurt, I need you to be strong here, alright? Blaine's all smiles and charm, but underneath, he is a seriously fragile kid. Just listen to him, hear him out. That's what he really needs right now."

"Thank you for the tips, Dad, but I do _know_ my boyfriend. Can I talk to him now?"

"Yeah, yeah, just call him on his cell, and he'll answer. He's waiting for you."

"And Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For just," he sighed, "for always being there for me, and accepting me _and _my boyfriend. You know... for being the best dad ever and everything."

My kid, the best kid in the world.

"Don't sweat it, Kurt. Just give Blaine a call, and I'll talk to you again tomorrow, okay? Don't stay up too late, and tell Blaine all about what happened with you and Rachel. I'm sure he'll love to hear it."

"Oh, he will. It's very... _Blaine_."

I laughed, "Alright, goodnight, kiddo."

"Goodnight, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too."

I hung up the phone and waited. I tried to deter my thoughts from whatever the two of them might be talking about, but my mind always travelled back to it. Their relationship was so unique, so special. Kurt needed Blaine just as much as Blaine needed Kurt, and if all of this somehow tore them apart, I didn't know what I'd do with myself. The last thing Kurt needed was to be completely alone again for his senior year, and the last thing Blaine needed was to be _homeless_ for his senior year. In my mind, those two needed to stay together forever. I stopped myself from even thinking about what would happen in the future. There was just too much going on in the present.

Hours later, I heard footsteps outside my door. With a slight knock, Blaine let himself in.

"How'd it go?"

He looked exhausted and like he'd been crying for some time. I wondered how Kurt was managing.

He sat on the edge of the bed.

"Harder than I'd expected, but it all needed to be said. I actually feel better than I did before I talked to him. You've raised an amazing son, Mr. Hummel."

"Burt."

"Burt. I promise I'm going to get that right eventually," he said with a laugh.

I smiled, and I knew he'd be alright. He was right, it'd take some time, but he was one step closer. I was the happiest I'd been since he showed up in my shop.

"Well, I think we both need to get some rest. How 'bout it?"

"That I can get on board with. Goodnight, Burt."

"Goodnight."

As he was leaving, he accidentally bumped into the dresser. I saw him wince and grab his chest at the contact.

I made a note to call Mike the next day.

"Hey, you alright? How's the pain? Is that medicine helping?"

"Yeah, it really doesn't hurt anymore."

"None of it?"

"None of it."

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


	5. The Airport

Thank you SO much for all of the incredibly kind reviews. Everyone who has given me feedback on this story is so special to me, and I cannot thank you guys enough for making me smile so much! I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter and keep sending me your ideas. I tried to incorporate a lot your feedback and interests (even with a slight Quartie reference for TheRumbleroar!) as well as a lot of references to past episodes. Now that season two is over, I've been reliving my favorite moments, and they all just worked so sweetly with what I wanted from this chapter. Also, I hope you guys like my interpretation of the final Klaine moment of season two! It was just TOO sweet and perfect to disregard!

Also, as long as you guys love the story, it will continue! I promise this is not the last chapter, even though it mirrors the final episode. I've got a ton of big ideas for the summer and for McKinley in the fall. So, hopefully you guys will all be on board for the ride! :)

Enjoy! You guys are all amazing, and I love reading your reviews and ideas so much! Thanks for sticking with me this long!

* * *

><p>We waited outside of the airport terminal, surrounded by other familiar glee club families. Blaine was by my side, clutching a bouquet of flowers, his hands trembling. He was overcome with a mixture of both nerves and excitement, and I knew in that moment the only thing he needed in the world was for my son to come through those gates.<p>

"You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah... yeah, I- I hope so," he laughed. "I'm just... _really_ glad he's about to be home."

"I'm right there with you."

When we first saw Tina and Mike walking toward the exit, Blaine really started getting anxious. He was ducking around, searching for any sign of the family. Schuester, Sam and Mercedes, Quinn pushing Artie, Brittany and Santana, and Puck and Lauren had all arrived... but my family was no where to be found.

Mercedes walked up to Blaine and gave him a hug.

"Hey, how are you doing? Kurt... Kurt told me."

She looked guilty.

"It's okay. I'm fine, I promise. Any sign of him?"

"I think they're holding back for a bit. Finn's taking it all pretty hard... I mean, he _is _kinda the reason we lost, but-"

"Wait, what?"

"You don't know? Shoot, there's no way I'm ruining that story for Kurt. You're going to _love_ this one."

"I'll take your word for it."

He plastered on his sparkling fake smile, and I silently hoped he wouldn't keep trying to fool my family with it. He'd become so transparent, and it was actually starting to scare me a little bit.

"I've got to run, but we _better_ be hanging out soon, mister."

"Oh, no question about it," he said with a wink.

"Nice seeing you again, Mr. Hummel."

"You too, Mercedes."

As soon as she was gone, the anxiousness returned to his face. Carole had told me about what happened on that stage, but I had no idea Blaine was so clueless. I figured Kurt had been to dejected to even talk to him about it.

Rachel finally walked out of the gate with tears brimming in her eyes. Her and Blaine shared a sad wave as she met up with her dads.

I was surprised she didn't show up with Finn. They'd kissed on stage in front of thousands of people, but they weren't together? Just one more drama to add to the household. We could handle it.

Finally, my family was in view. Finn had his head bowed, and Carole was putting forth one last effort to cheer him up. Kurt was scanning the crowd for us, and I could tell that he was just as nervous and excited as the boy standing next to me.

"Kurt!" Blaine yelled with a huge wave of his free hand.

Kurt's head immediately popped our way, and a huge, toothy smile burst across his face. He looked to Carole, and she nodded for him to run ahead, flashing me one of her knowing looks.

Kurt started running toward us, his massive boots not slowing him down for even a second. _Good Lord, how did he get through security in those?_

He ran into Blaine's arms, and the two were every combination of laughing, kissing, hugging, and crying that I'd ever seen at the end of all the romance movies Carole and Kurt had convinced me to sit through.

I knew that was the moment where I was supposed to tell them to _cool it_, but I had never seen two happier people, and there was just no pulling them apart.

Finn and Carole caught up to us, and I greeted her with a quick kiss before turning to my stepson who looked more sullen than ever. He had always had a deep pain behind his eyes, like there was some part of him missing, but _this_ sadness took over his entire lanky form. I'd tried my best to bond with him, and even though I knew the attention I gave Finn made Kurt upset sometimes, Finn deserved a father too. I had to be there for him to get him through that rough patch. We'd power through it somehow.

But then I was just about to start playing the role of surrogate father to _two_ broken kids while also trying to give my own kid everything he needed. I couldn't have imagined anything more difficult. Loving three abused, depressed, and desperate for attention teenage boys all under one roof was undoubtedly one of the hardest things I ever experienced. Especially being that two of those boys were _dating_.

"Finn, you gonna be alright, buddy?"

He nodded without saying a word, and Carole took him by the arm while I stepped away, giving them their space and led the group to the luggage carousel.

"Mom, everybody hates me."

"Everybody does not hate you, Finn."

"Yes, _yes_, they do. You should have seen Santana. I got lucky that she didn't have any razor blades in her hair at the time, or there's no way I'd even be here right now."

Carole laughed. I loved that laugh. I fell in love with that laugh everyday, my love only growing from the first time we met when I complimented her acid washed vest.

"Santana can shove it."

"God... Mom, don't say that so loud. She might be listening. She's everywhere! You don't know what goes on in Lima Heights Adjacent."

"Well, you are right about that."

Kurt and Blaine were holding hands, following us from a distance. I imagined Blaine inquiring for information on the disastrous finale of the New York trip but Kurt refusing to say anything until he could _really_ talk about it. Kurt loved to make an event out of telling a story. Blaine couldn't get the "full effect," as Kurt put it, of the trip without an exclusive one-on-one talk. Blaine was just happy to have his boyfriend back, hand in hand, without caring for one second about any of the eyes that lingered just a little bit too long on them.

I knew then that if the looks were that negative at an _airport_ where none of those people would ever even see those boys again, senior year at McKinley High was going to be hell for them. But it was something to think about another day.

We gathered everyone's luggage, Finn still moping, Kurt and Blaine still ecstatic to be together again, and Carole and I still begging everyone to pay attention in order to get us home as soon as possible.

When we finally arrived at the house, Finn retreated to his room, and the mindless video game sounds filled the air once again. I was amazed at how much I'd truly missed that sense of normalcy.

"We'll just... be upstairs, Dad," Kurt said to me as he took Blaine by the hand to get away from me as quickly as possible.

"Not so fast."

They immediately froze, and Kurt's face transformed into what I had been told everyone was calling one of his more classic _diva_ faces. He was not looking forward to the three of us sitting down for a "talk." The only reason Kurt and I had had the sex talk in the first place was because of the first time Blaine showed up in my shop. And now we'd have to have the sex talk for the second time because of the _second_ time Blaine showed up in my shop. It certainly wasn't going to be a fun experience for any of us, but it had to be done. If Finn couldn't have a girl spend the night in his room, Kurt certainly couldn't have Blaine... even if Blaine _was _permanently sleeping right down the hall. There just had to be boundaries.

"Alright, sit down, guys."

Blaine looked to Kurt for reassurance, and the two of them sat down on the couch in front of me. I folded my arms over my chest and let out a sigh.

"Let's figure this out."

"What's there to figure out?" Kurt tried with a smile.

"Very funny, Kurt." He rolled his eyes at me. _Keep it together._

"Now, first, I think the biggest thing is the sleeping situation."

Blaine squirmed in his seat, and Kurt's eyes expanded to twice their normal size. I had no idea how far they were in their relationship _physically_, but I knew my kid well enough that these two weren't having sex yet. This was Kurt's first relationship, and he had confided in me that they were taking it slow. Whether or not he was just saying that to make me feel more comfortable with Blaine, I'll never know, but I had to trust my kid. I had to believe that they were both still in the early stages of this game, and it'd take a long time for them to get to the big leagues.

"Carole and I have decided to clear out the back room so that you can have your own space instead of bunking with Finn-"

"Wait, you wanted him to share a room with _Finn_? Didn't we already try that once with some rather... _unfortunate_ consequences? Do we really need to relive the moist towelette incident?"

"That was a long time ago, Kurt. And, no, no we do not need to relive that, which is exactly why we're going through the junk that just never got mixed in with the rest of the house and hopefully get rid of most of it."

"As long as you don't get rid of my various hat mannequins, I am very pleased with this plan."

Blaine choked on a laugh. "You can leave them in there, Kurt. I'll display your hats proudly."

"Ah, a man with a shameless love for my hats. How did I get so lucky?"

Blaine smiled, and as he was about to lean in for a kiss, I cleared my throat as loudly as possible. They quickly jumped away from each other, and Kurt's face immediately turned a deep shade of scarlet.

"And _that_ brings me to rule number two. Physical contact in this house. Doors remain open at all times when you're together, and when Carole and I are at work, Finn will be our eyes and ears."

Kurt looked flabbergasted.

"Finn? _Really?_"

"Yes, Kurt. Finn, _really_. Is there a problem with that?"

"Oh, no, not at all. I just don't think he's a _reliable_ source for information."

"So you're telling me that if you saw Finn and some girl _together_ in his bed when Carole and I weren't here, you wouldn't tell me about it?"

"No, probably not. I'd blackm-"

I waved my hands to get him to stop talking.

"I don't wanna hear it. Stop blackmailing your brother, and we'll call it even."

"Aye aye, captain," he said with a salute. "Are we done here?"

"Yeah, fine. We're done. I guess we'll just be making this up as we go along."

Blaine looked like he had something to say, like he was finally confident enough to get his feelings out in the open. We were making progress.

"Burt, if I may, I completely understand your hesitation, but I promise you, I wouldn't do anything to betray your trust. I respect you and Kurt too much to throw away a good thing. You've both done so much for me, and the least I can do to return the favor is-"

"Blaine, don't wear yourself out. We get it, really," Kurt said with a soft smile. He was so genuine.

It was an awkward moment for me. I felt like I was imposing on a some kind of secret between the two of them.

"Alright, you two get outta here."

"Coffee, Blaine?"

"Always."

"Be back before dinner."

"We will," Kurt said.

Kurt let Blaine out the front door and turned back to me. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yep?"

"Thank you," he mouthed.

I nodded for him to go, and I just felt better. I felt really_ good_. Two kids smitten with each other and another happily distracted from the real world with his video game. What more could I want?

Later that night, well after we'd finished dinner, I heard a knock on my door while Carole was in the shower.

"Come in," I said.

Kurt peaked his head in and smiled at me.

"Hey, Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?"

I turned off the television.

"Sure thing."

Kurt joined me on the bed, much like Blaine had only a few nights before. Their similarities were astounding, and I was only just scratching the surface.

"Blaine and I... well, Blaine, he..." Kurt was so overwhelmed, and he couldn't stop smiling.

He took a deep breath.

"Blaine told me he loved me today."

He sucked in his lips and let out a tiny squeal followed by a huge smile.

I was so happy for my son. It was one of the happiest moments of my life, seeing my boy that _lively_ after such an excruciatingly painful year. His life had been threatened, he'd transferred to a new school... but then he was in love. I was so proud of my son. And I was pretty damn proud of Blaine too.

"Well, did you say it back?" I asked with a laugh.

"Of course I said it back, Dad! You can't just not say it back!"

I paused.

"You do love him, right? You're sure?"

He concentrated very hard, like he was recounting every memory he had of their time together. Running through Dalton hand in hand the first day they met, singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside," their first kiss... it was all so special to him, so fresh and untainted. What he had with Blaine was so rare in life, and I never wanted him to let it go.

"Yeah, Dad. I really do," he said quietly, tears slowly forming in his eyes.

"Come here."

I hugged my son like he'd be gone forever if I let him go.

"Sorry. It's just... whew, it's been a really emotional few days."

"I know, I know." I sighed. "I'm just glad you still talk to me about these things."

He laughed.

"Look, Blaine's a good guy, but more importantly he is the luckiest guy in the world to have your love, alright? Don't you ever forget that."

He wiped the tears from his face and laughed. "I won't, Dad."

Carole turned off the water, and Kurt leapt from the bed.

"Well, I think that's my cue to go. It's back to the ole grind tomorrow."

"Bright and early."

"I'm actually a little... scared about tomorrow. Finn looks like he's... well, he does look slightly less shocked but a little more devastated. Not a good combination."

I sighed. "Good luck with that."

He sighed back. "Thanks, I'm going to need it. Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, Kurt."

If you'd asked me a year before then if I would be living in a house with a new wife and three _sons_, I wouldn't have believed you for a second. But that was life. One moment you're one place, and the next moment you're inviting your son's boyfriend to live with you. You roll with the punches, and you take life as it comes to you, and you be a good man.

You know, when you stop and think about it, Burt Hummel had had a pretty good year.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


	6. The Transfer

Thanks so much for all of your awesome reviews for the last chapter! Sorry this one has taken me a bit longer than usual to get up - it's been a busy weekend!

I had some trouble with this chapter, so your feedback would be particularly incredible on this one! I really wanted to get back to the roots of the first and second chapters while also keeping Kurt involved. Future chapters will feature more of the relationships between Finn, Kurt, and Blaine, but I felt this fic really needed one more particularly Burt and Blaine-centric chapter. I also decided to include one scene a lot of you have been asking for. Originally, I wasn't going to do it... but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it was necessary!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

><p>Transferring my own kid from Dalton to McKinley was a piece of cake compared to what I went through with Blaine.<p>

I learned that my hatred for making phone calls was completely justified. At first, no one could even believe what I was trying to say.

"So, you're telling me that Richard Anderson, _the_ Richard Anderson, no longer has custody of his own son?"

"Yes, that is _exactly_ what I am telling you."

And that's when they'd always hang up. I talked to about twenty different people at Dalton Academy, and none of them would give me the time of day. Apparently, it was so hard to believe that _Richard Anderson _was really just a dick that what I had to say wasn't even worth staying on the line.

I decided to drive down to Dalton, with Blaine and Kurt in tow, and appeal to them face-to-face, man-to-man.

The Warblers had planned a huge goodbye party for Blaine, and I knew that he was secretly dreading it. Saying goodbye to the one thing that made him feel on top of the world was one of the biggest challenges he had to face. Kurt had only been with the Warblers for a few months, but Blaine... Blaine was their leading man, their star. He'd been with them for years, and of all the things he had to give up, I know those boys and that glee club were undoubtedly the hardest.

We drove the two hours to Dalton with Kurt and Blaine in the back seat, surprisingly happy, singing along with the radio and reminding each other of all the reasons that Lady Gaga was more of an art _form_ rather than justan artist.

But when we pulled up to the school, I noticed all of Blaine's muscles tense. I figured that was the first time he'd been there in street clothes since his very first visit. And he knew it would probably be his last.

Kurt squeezed his hand and whispered something encouraging in his ear.

We went into the building, and I parted ways with the boys. Blaine was doing his best to keep it together, and I knew he'd have been in shambles before he even made it to the choir room if Kurt hadn't been there to keep him steady.

I was surprised at how successful I was that day. I dressed up for the meetings, and I had come with all of Blaine's official records. I also had a secret weapon of sorts: a letter I had acquired by force from Richard himself saying that he was working on transferring parental rights to me and that I was entirely responsible for his son.

Getting that letter was an interesting story in itself.

I called him up after my unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the school, and the letter was actually his idea.

"Anyone at Dalton will respect my signature," he told me.

It was my best bet, and both because I didn't have enough time for him to mail it and because I actually wanted to get a look at the bastard myself, I met with him at his bank.

Physically, Blaine was the spitting image his father, minus about four inches. Richard Anderson had the curly, gelled back hair and the same dark features. I couldn't believe how similar they were, but there was something so _different_ about them that I just couldn't get past. The older Anderson gave off a stench that no expensive cologne could mask, a hatred that just poured out of him. I wanted to punch his face in every moment I was with him. But I'd taken Kurt with me, and I knew he was sitting right in the car to call the police if I actually murdered his boyfriend's father.

When I sat down in his office, he got right down to business.

"My revocation of parental rights will be official by the end of the month, and the word in Westerville is that Blaine has moved in with his uncle in Florida to attend the Paxon School. He's working very hard, so no other relatives should try to contact him, and I'm so very _proud_ of my son and all of his accomplishments."

Every word he said made my heart drop a little bit further through my stomach. I had no idea how Blaine made it as long as he did with a father who was so obsessed with the lies and appearances. I was so disgusted that I couldn't even think of the right words to throw back at him.

When he handed me the letter, our eyes met for the first time. And for one split second, I swore I saw a tiny flash of regret set somewhere very deep behind his hazel eyes.

I stood, and he walked me to the lobby. I had so many things I wanted to say to him. I had made lists of all the terrible things I wanted to yell at that man, all the ways I wanted him to feel like the worst father in the entire world for everything he'd done to his son, to my family.

But I couldn't do it. My brain was so engulfed in a battle between rage and keeping my composure that I couldn't transfer the information to my mouth.

I could only transfer it to my fist.

I punched him square in the jaw, right where his son's bruise had been.

Other employees and customers were in shock, and through the glass walls of the lobby, I saw Kurt with his hands covering his mouth.

The older Anderson shuffled to his feet and shooed everyone away.

He gave me one last look before I left the bank. Any _regret_ I had seen in his eyes before had been replaced with the same fake charm I used to see in Blaine's. I pushed open the doors and received a glaring judgement from my son.

Kurt grilled me for information the entire way home.

"You didn't say _anything_ to him? What about everything we rehearsed?"

"I dunno. It just didn't happen, buddy."

"This is such a let down."

"Hey, what about that punch? I thought that was pretty good."

"It's just fighting violence with violence, Dad."

"I still think that said more to a guy like him than any words I could have come up with."

Kurt considered it very carefully.

"Well... at least he deserved it."

I smiled. I knew I shouldn't have been telling my son that it was okay to hit guys, because it wasn't. It was stooping down to his level. It was doing what he does best.

But I think _that's_ the reason I'll never feel bad about it.

An asshole deserves to be punched in the face. And it was the best way to communicate exactly what he'd done to Blaine. Let _him_ carry around that bruise for a few days. See how it feels.

But the letter worked. He was right. A Richard Anderson signature went a long way.

I filled out a lot of forms, got copies of his transcript, and was given a number to call if I ever needed anything else. Money was more powerful than I had imagined.

I knew Blaine and Kurt weren't ready to leave, so I found a mall to waste my time at.

I considered all of the things we still needed to buy for Blaine.

He needed a bed and everything that went along with it, and furniture was going to be expensive. I didn't want to add up the costs in my head. I just told myself that we'd make it somehow.

I knew better than to even think about picking anything specific for the kid. I'd left that entirely to Kurt. I doubted if Blaine would even have a say in the plans himself. Kurt had already made poster boards, diagrams of exactly which pieces he wanted to buy and the colors that would work best with Blaine's skin tone. _How does he think of these things?_

Blaine was floored when Kurt laid out the plans for him.

"Kurt, this is... this is _amazing_, seriously. How long did you work on this?"

"Oh, this? No, it's... it's no big deal." He laughed off what I knew had taken him hours to perfect, and the two smiled at each other.

"Now, I think I've picked the perfect combination, but just for good measure..."

Kurt held up swatches to Blaine's face and commanded him to make different facial expressions.

I laughed and let them be. Kurt's enthusiasm for linens was well beyond my grasp, and I knew Blaine would love anything Kurt picked out for him.

The memory made me smile in the middle of the store.

Much later, I got the call from Kurt and headed back to Dalton. Blaine was in better spirits than I had expected, but I knew the loss would sink in later. _It's not just a river in Egypt._

Kurt fell asleep on Blaine fairly quickly, but Blaine kept his eyes locked on the window. I let us ride in silence for a while, but the tension was building. I knew there was something he wanted to say, but there was no way he'd say it without my lead.

"Anything on your mind?"

"Kurt told me," he answered immediately, "about what happened at the bank."

I sighed.

"So _that's_ it."

He looked stunned.

"_That's it?_ What, I'm not allowed to be _pissed_ about this?"

"That's not what I said."

"Then what _are_ you saying exactly?"

That was a new side of Blaine. I'd forgotten that under all the manners and hair gel, he was still an angry teenage boy. He had the same mood swings as Finn and the same temper as my son, but he was still trying his best to keep his voice down so as not to stir Kurt. I didn't know what to say.

He sighed.

"I just... I don't think it's fair that I have to report to you if he contacts me, but you think it's fine to keep _assaulting him at his workplace_ a secret from me."

"Blaine, it's not the same thing."

"Oh, please, it is, and you know it."

My temper was rising. I was always too quick to act, and it only made the person I was taking it out on even angrier.

"What do you want to hear, kid? That I'm sorry? That I regret it? Because I'm not, and-"

"No! No, that's not what I want to hear! What I want to hear is that-"

He choked on the words and let out a deep breath.

"I need you to tell me about these things. This is my life, and I'm not some little kid. I can handle it."

"I know you can handle it."

He was very quiet, very considering. I calmed down to get on his level.

"I should have heard it from you first."

"You're right. You know, I'm not a perfect guy, Blaine. I screwed up this time, alright? From now on, we'll talk this stuff out, I promise."

He nodded. We were quiet for a long time, and I wanted him to make the next move.

"So, you just clocked him?"

I smiled.

"That's what happened."

"What was it like?" he asked, very seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"What did it fee like? I mean, did it feel... good?"

I didn't understand where he was going with it.

"Yeah... yeah, I guess it did, actually."

His eyebrows furrowed, and I knew he was trying to picture it very carefully.

"I used to imagine what it'd feel like... as I tried to fall asleep at night. Being strong enough to do anything to him at all, really."

I didn't want him to get upset. I needed to make him feel strong, powerful.

I needed him to trust me again.

"You're already a strong kid, Blaine. You did the best thing you could do. You came to me for help."

"Right."

"But you don't think so?"

"I just... I don't know."

"Blaine, you did the right thing. I know you know that."

He nodded.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Because I'm tired of doing the right thing! I'm tired of running away, and I'm tired of making other people fight my battles for me."

"There was nothing you could-"

"And _that's_ the problem! There was _nothing_ I could do. I just... I just can't help feeling helpless _all the time_. I can't protect Kurt or you or anyone else. I can't even protect myself."

"You're beating yourself up for no reason. And you're not helpless. You're one of the strongest people I know, and I don't throw that around lightly."

"But-"

"No buts. You know, I wish you could've seen Kurt before he met you. He was angry all the time, terrified, and just... completely _removed_ from even living his life. And then you showed up. And you showed him that he didn't have to be afraid. _You_ were there for him when no one else could be. You gave me my kid back." I paused. "Now it's my turn to give you what you deserve too. There's not a battle to fight with me, Blaine, because we've both already won."

My attention was diverted from the road, and I had to slam on the brakes at a stoplight.

Kurt immediately jerked awake. He sat up and rubbed his forehead.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Blaine said.

"Mmm, are we home?"

"Almost."

"M'kay, I'm just..."

"Go back to sleep."

He snuggled back into the crook in Blaine's neck, and Blaine wrapped his arm around his waist.

"Blaine."

He nodded, his eyes glossed with tears.

And we were silent.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and if you get the chance, please review! :)<p> 


	7. The Job

Hey, guys! Thanks so much for all of the incredible reviews! I really hope this chapter is up to par. This is the longest chapter by far, and I _almost_ considered making it two chapters. Instead, I just cut it down a bit, added some more... and then cut it down again! I had a lot of ideas of how I wanted to tackle one very important event that's coming up this month, and so as not to sacrifice any of them, the longest chapter yet was born. I promise this one has a much happier ending then the last, but, of course, it's going to take a lot of less happy things to get there!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Over the next few weeks, the back room was completely transformed.<p>

It was very Blaine. It was _Kurt's_ Blaine, and he loved it. Kurt began spending more time in Blaine's room than his own. It was his pride and joy contribution to the house, and he loved describing all the details of the remodel to anyone who would listen.

Blaine would smile and nod along, having heard everything about his room from Kurt dozens of times already. But he loved it. He loved Kurt, he loved the green walls, and he loved having a bed in a house that just _let_ him love it.

The two of them had a system for their time spent together. They agreed that actual dates had to take place outside of the house, and they were each entitled to as much alone time as they wanted with no hard feelings. For the most part, though, they never really wanted to be alone.

They'd spent so much time apart when Blaine was at Dalton and Kurt was at McKinley that always being together was a dream come true.

I did come up with a few more rules, though. Everyone had to be in his own room from midnight until morning unless the whole family was still up. That included Finn. Somehow, every time he stumbled down to the kitchen in the middle of the night, he'd knock _something_ over that would inevitably wake up everyone in the house. It drove Kurt nuts.

I never really had to worry about them. They were good guys, and I knew Blaine was far too terrified to screw up a good thing that he wouldn't dare do anything in the house with Kurt that I wouldn't approve of. And for the most part, Kurt didn't seem to have a problem with that. He was a hopeless romantic. He'd rather talk or sing with Blaine than anything else.

That summer was an interesting one.

Soon after he was settled in, Blaine came to me with a proposition.

"Good morning!"

It was eight A.M., well before anyone else in the house had woken up. I was enjoying my morning coffee and sports section alone when he startled me by appearing in the kitchen's entranceway.

"Jesus, what are you doing up already?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that."

I sighed and removed my reading glasses.

"You need something?"

"Uh, yeah. I just wanted to let you know that I've been doing a lot of thinking, and you've already done so much for me. _Too_ much, really. So, I've got a couple of job interviews today, and I plan on supporting myself entirely. Financially, I mean."

I smiled. Blaine was dropping comments like that all the time.

He took on chores that Finn had been asked to do, and if Kurt would have let Blaine do his, I know he would have. Finn bumming his work on Blaine made Carole furious, and I was never surprised to walk in on Kurt commanding Blaine to drop a sponge.

"Look, no one's expecting you to support yourself financially, Blaine."

"I know that. But I want to."

Things were tight as they were, and with Finn's junk food habits and Kurt's online shopping addiction, Blaine covering a few of his own expenses might just convince the other two to follow suit. I wasn't going to resist.

"Well, you know... I'm not going to say no here. You can pay for your own gas, all of those coffees you two love to spend all your time drinking, whatever."

He smiled. I knew a part of him could sleep better at night without feeling like some kind of mooch. Of course, he was the only one who thought of himself as one, and no matter how many times we all told him that, it never really sunk in.

So, I let him win one.

"Thanks, Burt."

"Where all are you applying?"

"Well, I already got the Six Flags gig, but that's only on the weekends. And I'm checking out the music store by your shop, and Wes's dad owns a Greek restaurant about twenty minutes away. So, I've got an advantage there."

"Wait... _Wes's_ dad?"

"That's what I said."

We laughed.

"Well, hey, that sounds great. Best of luck to you."

"I'm just gonna go shower and get ready."

"Will you make sure Kurt's up by nine? His said something about brunch with Carole, and you know his skin thing takes forever."

"Already on it," he said as he disappeared up the stairs.

Blaine got that job at the restaurant, and Kurt hated it.

Blaine worked unreasonably long hours, and he was always exhausted when he came home. I didn't like it either, but he always insisted that he was just going through training, and his hours would get better once he was promoted.

Blaine did his best to keep Kurt happy, but there were some things he just couldn't control.

"Oh my God. You smell like lamb, feta, and _sweat_."

"It's a Greek restaurant, Kurt. That's just what it smells like."

"Well, it's kind of disgusting."

Blaine kissed him very softly, knowing that even though my back was turned, I was still present.

"Still disgusting?"

"Slightly less so."

"How about I shower so it's not disgusting at all?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

But then Blaine would fall asleep on the couch within twenty minutes of smelling nice enough for Kurt to sit next to him.

It was mid-June when his time at that restaurant finally made a legitimate impact on their relationship. Really on his relationship with everyone in the Hudson-Hummel household.

Other than the occasional department store sale, there was one day that Kurt was determined to make perfect above any other. Every year, he nailed it, and I was always the happiest guy in the world to have him as my son. But that year was the first with three new additions to the house. That year was the first with two new teenagers who still hadn't completely worked out who I was to them. And that year was the first with a kid who didn't have a single blood relative in the house and who had been completely betrayed by the person he was supposed to be celebrating.

Father's Day was _almost_ a disaster that year.

Kurt wanted more than anything for it to be perfect, even more so than the past years. He wanted Blaine to feel included and for Finn to have his first real Father's Day.

But it wasn't as easy as it might have seemed.

Kurt made plans for days, and on a few occasions, I'd hear the three boys arguing as I walked by Kurt's room.

"No, Finn, we _can't_ do a Dashboard Confessional song. Dad loves Mellencamp. _So_, we're doing Mellencamp."

"But I just figured that if we-"

"No, no. There's no room for discussion here. The plans are all laid out, and we're not _discussing_ them. We're _teaching_ them to you."

I heard Blaine laugh, and I assumed Finn just gave up. Finn was a born leader, but when Kurt got started on something that was really important to him, there was just no stopping him.

And on another occasion, while Blaine was at work, I came home to the two boys entangled in a screaming match in the kitchen.

"God, stop being so hard on me! I've never done this before!"

"You've done Mother's Day before, Finn. This is not difficult!"

"_Mother's Day_ is totally different!"

Kurt took a deep breath. He tried to be calm, but he had a hard time understanding why other guys weren't good at the things he was good at. Just like Finn and I had a hard time understanding why he wasn't good at the things we were good at. It just took patience.

"You have two options: be a part of this or don't. That is your decision."

There was a long pause.

"I want to be a part of this."

"Good. _Now_, this is the twelfth and_ last_ time I am going to show you how to crack an egg. Alright?"

Because of our major additions to the brood, Kurt extended Father's Day to the entire weekend rather than just Sunday. He wanted everyone to have a chance to enjoy... well, _me_, I guess.

Blaine and I spent Friday afternoon at an auto show, and I taught him everything I could think of about the mechanics of the cars while he taught me about all of the classic movies certain models had been featured in. We laughed so much, and he seemed genuinely happy, almost in a way that was bigger than how happy he was with Kurt. He was safe and accepted and smiling with a guy that if he squinted real hard might just actually be enjoying cars the way real fathers did with their sons. And that felt pretty damn good.

That night, Finn and I went to a basketball game while Kurt and Blaine went to a movie. We didn't get home until pretty late, and I was surprised to still hear voices from Kurt's room at five minutes to midnight.

As I walked to the door, I heard a bit of their exchange.

"Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not _mad_, Blaine. I'm just _frustrated_. Isn't there anything you can do to... I don't know, appeal this?"

"I've tried. You know I've tried. My manager won't listen to me, and apparently Father's Day is one of the busiest days of the year. If there was anything I could do, I would do it."

"You _could _quit."

"Kurt-"

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm going to stop telling you to do that one of these days."

Blaine sighed.

"_I'm_ sorry. You've worked too hard on this for me to screw it up."

"I arranged Mellencamp into three part harmony, Blaine. _Three_ parts."

"It'll still sound amazing with two."

"Only if I can convince Finn to stand still."

Blaine laughed.

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem. As long as he doesn't break your _dad's_ nose with his dance moves this time, I call it a success."

They were silent.

"What?"

"I just remembered how lucky I am," Kurt said.

"I'll _always_ be the lucky one."

That's when I realized I was eavesdropping. I looked down at my watch and gently knocked on the door.

"Time to break it up, guys."

From their positions, I knew I'd just interrupted what was about to be a kiss. Blaine immediately leapt from the bed and waved goodnight to Kurt from the door.

"Great timing, Dad."

"It's like I plan these things."

He sighed.

"Did you and Finn have fun?"

"We most certainly did."

"And did your team score a lot of touchdowns?"

I laughed, and I knew that the rules of basketball were just one of those things Kurt wasn't wired to care about.

"Yeah, buddy, we scored a lot of touchdowns."

"That sounds fabulous. Well, goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, Kurt. See you bright and early."

"Bright and early."

Kurt had planned to spend every waking moment of that Saturday with me. For some reason that I will never be able to explain, Kurt actually wanted to go _fishing_. He came downstairs at seven that morning dressed in what he called "fisherman's chic." There was no way I was telling him to dress otherwise, mainly because the fact that he had even put together an outfit with the word _fisherman_ in it was one of the craziest things he'd ever done. And that was really saying something.

We spent all day by the water, talking, eating the sandwiches he'd made ("They're _heart healthy_, Dad. You have to at least try one!"), and just relaxing.

It's not like I wanted Kurt to change. I want Kurt to be Kurt, all day and night, but for him to sacrifice his Saturday doing something that he hated but knew would make me happy was just a testament to how self-sacrificing that kid could be. I made a note to figure out something even more perfect for his birthday.

That night, I was so exhausted that I slept well into Sunday afternoon. I only woke up due to the sound of crashing pots in the kitchen followed by an exasperated, "_Finn!_"

The fact that Kurt had even let Finn take more than three steps into the kitchen that day was a miracle in itself.

I sat up and saw a perfectly laid out plate full of all of my favorite foods. It was a combination of breakfast and lunch, and I only imagined the lunch had been added because I wouldn't stir for a reasonable breakfast hour.

The note on the tray read, "And today is for good food and your beautiful wife. Happy Father's Day, Dad/Burt. - Kurt, Finn, and Blaine."

I smiled at Kurt's handwriting and his addition to the usual just "Dad." We were a family. We were weird, but we were a family.

I spent the entire afternoon in bed with Carole, both of us eating from Kurt's perfectly prepared meal. It was amazing. The two of us had barely had a moment alone since she'd been home from New York, and I was reminded all over again of how much I love her.

Eventually, we were called down to dinner and were greeted by Kurt and Finn in perfectly tailored tuxedos. Kurt had completely transformed the kitchen to look like my favorite steakhouse, one I hadn't been to in ages. I was amazed he had even remembered what it looked like.

"Now, tonight we are serving all of your favorites."

"We've got steak. We've got potatoes. We've got corn. Uh... we've got a lot of things!"

"Yes, like Finn said, we've got a lot of things. So, sit down, and enjoy."

That food was beyond incredible. I knew there was no way Finn had touched any part of it. It was completely Finn-proof.

Although everything was perfect, I could tell Kurt was still upset about Blaine not being there. I was upset too. I knew how much it meant to Blaine to be a part of it, but I figured we'd have other dinners, and it was just too hard to be upset when I was surrounded by some of the best things in the world.

But that was when it all started to crumble.

We all jumped at the sound of the front door slamming shut. Blaine came into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets, his white uniform soaked in some kind of green liquid.

Kurt stood.

"What's going on? What are you doing home so early?"

"I... uh... well-"

"You...?"

"I got fired."

Kurt was _ecstatic_. It was exactly what he wanted. But Blaine didn't quite see it that way.

When Kurt gave Blaine a huge hug, Blaine only wrapped his right arm around him. That was when I noticed a much darker liquid slowly staining his left pocket.

"Blaine," I said, "something wrong with your hand?"

He didn't want anyone to notice. He didn't want anyone to have to do anything for him, not ever. He didn't want to ruin Father's Day.

"It's nothing."

I walked over to him and gently pushed Kurt out of the way.

"Let's see it."

He reluctantly removed his hand from his pocket. It was more of a sticky red mess than a hand at that point. A huge gash on his palm was covered by a few paper towels.

"Jesus Christ," Finn said.

"It's fine, really. I just need to clean it off."

"What happened?" I asked, staring straight into his eyes.

I liked to believe he couldn't lie to me.

"One of the cooks bumped into me while I was holding a jar of olives. It shattered up against a wall while it was still in my hands, and I guess the glass just really got me the wrong way. And, before you ask, yes, that's why I got fired."

We washed his hand off under the sink only to discover that the gash was significantly deeper than he had described it.

"You need stitches, for sure."

"No, no, it's fine. Let's just sit down."

"Blaine-"

"_Burt_, I'm not going to the ER on Father's Day over a piece of glass."

But that's exactly what we did.

Kurt recounted the time he was struck in the back of the head with a tire swing when he was two. It wasn't something he actually remembered but rather a story he'd been told so many times it was like it happened yesterday.

"I wouldn't sit still for the doctor, and they just figured my hair would cover up the scar, so they gave up on the stitches. But now I think about it all the time. Like, what if someday I lose all of my hair? Besides that being a tragedy that I have nightmares about frequently, I can't help thinking about that scar. _Think about the scar_, Blaine. Don't do this to yourself!"

And we all piled into the van and spent the next four hours in the hospital waiting room. Kurt and Finn were asleep in the plastic chairs, still in their tuxedos, when Blaine's name was finally called, so I went back into the exam room with him.

"What are the odds of this happening twice in one month?" I laughed.

He smiled.

"I'm really sorry, you know. I guess I'm just clumsier than I thought."

And _that_ was when I realized that maybe he hadn't told me the whole truth.

Blaine wasn't clumsy. He didn't drop things or stumble like Finn. He was very put together, very careful.

"Clumsy, huh?" I paused. "You don't have to tell me what really happened if you don't want to."

He sighed.

"What tipped you off?"

"You'll understand when you're a dad."

He smiled at the thought but was then very serious again.

"There was an... altercation."

He waited for my reaction. I nodded for him to continue.

"One of the guys at work, he called me a... he called me a fag and pushed me into the wall. It wasn't an accident."

He took a deep breath and furrowed his brow.

"I was just so _angry_. I freaked out. It was so stupid. _I_ was so stupid. I knocked him to the ground, and my manager came in and, well, he fired us both."

He paused.

"Could you just not tell Kurt, please?"

I don't know how those kids took it. Getting shoved around, called terrible names, made to think they aren't good enough for the rest of the world. I don't blame him. I'd have knocked the guy down too.

"I won't."

He looked stunned at the answer. Of course I wouldn't tell Kurt. I never told Kurt about Finn's personal stuff, and I'd never tell him about Blaine's. Those boys had to be able to trust me, or it just wasn't going to work.

"Thanks."

The doctor came in, inspected the hand, cleaned it, and sewed it up.

Eighteen stitches. And he took it like a champ. I knew Kurt would have buried his face in my chest before the doctor even started, but Blaine just gritted his teeth and powered through it.

"How does it feel?"

"Pretty weird. Kind of like the entire top of my hand would just fall off if I ripped them out right now."

"That's pretty normal, actually. Just come back in about two weeks, and we'll take those out for you."

We woke up Kurt and Finn and headed back to the house. Simple as that, for spending almost five hours in a hospital.

I knew that Blaine felt absolutely terrible. He felt like he'd ruined everything again. As if not being there for the dinner wasn't bad enough, he'd forced the entire family to sit with him in the ER all night.

Kurt held his injured hand in the car but knew better than to say anything to him. They understood each other so well.

When we got home, Kurt wanted to pretend like nothing had happened. Like Blaine had been with us for dinner all night, and it was just time for desert.

"Red velvet cupcakes à la Finn, anyone?"

"You decided to let Finn do the cupcakes?" Blaine asked.

"Hey, I got pretty good at cracking those eggs, don't you think?"

"Yes, Finn, you cracked those eggs like a professional. I must say, I am very proud of your progress."

We sat down at the table again, and Blaine was more than happy to go along with Kurt's charade. The less anyone talked about him, the better.

But Kurt took one bite of the cupcake and immediately spit it out.

"Oh my God."

"What? What's wrong with it?"

"Finn, you did put _sugar_ in these, right?"

"Yeah, the white stuff in the bag."

A moment of terror. I could almost feel the rage building up in my son's chest.

"_Which_ white stuff in _which_ bag?"

"Uh... the one with the brown label."

And Kurt's eyes were ablaze.

"_Salt_. I just ate a _salt_ cupcake. Finn Hudson, I am going to-"

"Wait-" Blaine interrupted. "Don't do anything to him yet. Give me ten seconds."

Blaine ran upstairs, and as we waited for him to return, Finn mumbled an apology that Kurt immediately silenced.

"Don't even try it."

Blaine ran back down the stairs and appeared in the entranceway, clutching a red box in his uninjured hand.

"I know it's not the same as your recipe, but I picked it up a few days ago, just in case something like this were to happen."

He put the box in front of Kurt, who I'm pretty sure had never been happier to see a Betty Crocker label in his entire life. Kurt immediately jumped up and wrapped his arms around Blaine.

"Blaine Warbler, you are a-"

"Just call me Cindy Lou Who."

I didn't care that Finn had confused salt and sugar. I didn't care that I'd spent most of the night in the ER. I didn't care that Blaine was unemployed.

I cared about the three boys who put together an amazing weekend and who topped it off by eating cupcake frosting out of a bowl and singing my favorite song in three part harmony.

Because when you've got something good, you don't let the bad things cloud it up. You eat, and you love, and you take the kid to the hospital to get his stitches removed after two weeks.

And after awhile, you almost forget anything bad happened at all.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and please shoot me a review if you get the chance!<p> 


	8. The Shirts

Thank you all SO much for the insanely amazing feedback. I have NO idea how we got from what was originally going to be a one-shot to more than 100 reviews. I am seriously so grateful for all of your extraordinarily kind words. You guys make me smile for hours!

This chapter is part one of a two (possibly three)- part series that covers the entire summer with these boys. What happened was, I started writing this chapter and went off on a crazy tangent about halfway through it. I realized that all of a sudden, I was 3,000 words in and had just started a completely new storyline rather than solving the one I had started originally! So, I'll be telling THAT story in the next chapter, and I'll be telling the story I started when the document was blank in this chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>One thing I clearly remember about that summer is that it was extraordinarily hot.<p>

I imagine part of the reason I remember that heat so clearly was because of all of the drama it caused around our house. Particularly the number of teenage boys who seemed to always be shirtless. I can't remember a single time Blaine was outside _with_ his shirt on. Even Finn took off his swim shirt occasionally. But Kurt... Kurt stuck to his fitted sweaters, regardless of how much he'd sweat.

That's where the drama started.

Blaine missed the Warblers, but they were hours away. _Kurt_ had always been worth the drive when Blaine still lived with his dad, but once he was permanently living in Lima, he hated going back to Westerville. That summer was about moving on for Blaine. Westerville had to be a part of the past, and Lima had to be a part of the future. Of course, Blaine just blamed his resistance to leave on the gas prices.

So, with no group of male friends, he turned to Finn. The two of them got along surprisingly well. Once Finn realized that Blaine only spent a quarter of the amount of time in the bathroom that Kurt did, he was sold. Blaine and Finn quickly became the kind of brothers that I knew Kurt and Finn could never be. They watched sports, they played video games, and the straw that broke Kurt's back... Blaine hung out with Finn's friends.

Finn's friends weren't _not _Kurt's friends. It was just that Kurt preferred to hang out with the _girlfriends_ of Finn's friends.

The problem was that Blaine got along with all of them.

He loved listening to musicals and talking about fashion with Kurt, Rachel, and Mercedes, but he also loved playing basketball in the driveway with Finn, Sam, and Puck.

Finn didn't really care what Blaine did with Kurt and the girls, but to Kurt, the two worlds couldn't collide. Or at least he didn't like them to.

At first, Kurt didn't seem to really have a problem with it.

"He's adjusting. It's good that he... you know, he's getting on so well with Finn, and the other guys in New Directions like him. So, he'll fit in once he's at McKinley. It's a good thing, right?"

But as the summer wore on, and the heat got to be too much for Kurt to sit outside and watch them play, his tune started to change.

"Blaine is out there with them _again_, Dad. Where is the appeal in basketball? The heat is sweltering, and while I like my man tan, it's like he _wants_ to get cancer six years into our marriage! How am I supposed to deal with that?"

"Kurt, I think you might be getting ahead of yourself."

"I'm sorry, Dad, but this whole Blaine and the glee club jocks bromance _needs_ to end."

"It's sounds more to me like you might be a little jealous of Blaine here."

"I'm not _jealous_. I just don't understand why he can't get the same satisfaction from hanging out with me as he does with them."

"Oh, come on. You know good and well he'd rather spend time with you than with Finn."

"I do? I know good and well? Because he's denied my invitations to go shopping on numerous occasions to finish a game with them. To sweat half-naked with three other guys, Dad! Am I not supposed to be concerned about this?"

"Those guys are not his boyfriend, Kurt. You are. He loves _you_. He just needs his guy time. You've got to give him that."

"Right, he needs his guy time. But I don't need my guy time?"

"I don't know what you want me to say here, buddy! Blaine's allowed to have friends other than just you. It's not like you haven't been invited to hang out with them. If you want to play, go play!"

"That is disgusting."

I sighed. He could be so impossible sometimes. It was times like those when you just had to say what he wanted to hear to end the conversation. There was no chance of winning, only of him being mildly satisfied.

"How about I talk to Blaine? I'll see what's going through his head, maybe get him to play a little less basketball and a little more show tunes."

"I don't know how much good it'll do. He's been out there for _hours_."

"Well, it can't hurt, can it?"

"I guess not."

He sighed.

"Thank you, Dad. I guess I'm just... kind of being ridiculous, right?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Your honesty is not always appreciated."

And he retreated to the air conditioning of his bedroom.

The longer Blaine was with us, the more I noticed certain attitude changes in him. Maybe he was just getting used to living in the house or maybe he was trying to be a new person, someone who had left Westerville Blaine far behind him. That summer, I liked to think that maybe it was just the heat getting to him.

It's not that he suddenly became some new Blaine. It just took him a little bit longer to remember the old Blaine when he was angry or really wanted something. He was quicker to act, quicker to be an irrational teenager. He stopped being the guy his dad always wanted him to be and more of the guy Kurt and Finn could _get away_ with being.

And he was completely entitled to be that guy. I only want my boys to be themselves, and I certainly expected it to happen eventually. I guess I was just hoping it'd come somewhere around graduation, not a few weeks into his first summer.

He was sitting at his desk, singing along with the music coming from his headphones when I knocked on the door. His back was to me.

I got a lot of Kurt's attitude and Finn's nonchalance in that conversation.

"Hey, Blaine?"

No response.

"Blaine, I need to talk to you for a minute."

No response.

"_Blaine_, the house is on _fire_!"

Nothing.

So, I ripped the headphones out of his ears.

"Hey, what're you-? Oh, Burt, uh... sorry. I thought you were Finn. What's going on?"

He was more confused than annoyed.

"Have you got a minute?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Something you want to talk about?"

I took a breath. I wasn't sure how to talk about my son's relationship issues. Especially with his boyfriend that was _living in my house_. I never got good at that.

"Look, maybe you should take Kurt out sometime."

"Oh, yeah? What makes you say that?"

"I think he feels left out when you hang out with Finn and the guys."

"Well, I ask him if he wants to play every time."

"He doesn't want to play. He just... I dunno, he just wants to feel included."

"I don't think I understand what you want me to do."

"Maybe just... you know. Hang out with him a little more, make him feel special."

"Burt, I don't know how to hang out with him more. I'm with him every single day. And I'm not complaining! I love him to death. It's just... we go out every weekend, and every Tuesday is girls' night. Sometimes I just need a break," he took a breath. "So, if you're asking me to stop playing basketball with the guys, I'm sorry, but the answer is no."

"That's not what I'm asking, Blaine. But... couldn't you maybe try cutting it down a bit?"

"Why should I?"

And there was the attitude.

"Look, you just need to talk to Kurt, alright? I think he'd feel a lot less left out if he could hear your side of the story _from you_."

He rested his elbow on the desk and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll talk to him."

"Do it soon?"

He looked like I'd just slapped him across the face but nodded his head in agreement.

"Good. Thank you."

They did talk, and at first, it seemed like the issue had been put to rest. Blaine kept hanging out with the guys, but he didn't see them everyday. They compromised, and it was fine again.

Except that it wasn't. It took a little bit longer to realize it had only really been worked out on one side. Blaine was happy as always, and I really thought Kurt was too.

Until our July 4th cookout.

That was actually Rachel's idea.

The four of them were watching a movie in the living room one night. Blaine and Kurt were so close to each other, they were almost one person. Kurt and Rachel were crying, and I knew Blaine was putting forth every effort he possibly could to keep himself from turning into a blubbering mess like the other too. Finn was asleep.

Whatever the movie was, it had something to do with friends leaving or dying or not being friends anymore, because they were suddenly beyond convinced that they needed to do something drastic to keep them all together.

"You guys, we _need _to do something about the constantly separating iceberg that _is_ our glee club. I am usually the last person to admit such a thing, but we can't win Nationals without everybody, and this is our last chance. Did you know that I haven't even spoken to Artie all summer?"

"I don't even know if Quinn's still alive," Kurt added, half in horror.

"I think Puck said something about her the other day. Nothing to worry about," Blaine reassured him.

"That's another thing! _Blaine_. You have to be initiated as an official member of New Directions. While having already sung a solo and engaged in a less-than-one-week romance with me are undoubtedly good first steps, you have to become one of the group. For Sam, Finn and I let him win the duets contest. But, for you... well, we don't really have enough time for Finn and I to be sacrificing any star power. So, I propose a major get together. As soon as possible."

And from Kurt's wide eyes and Blaine's suddenly pale face, the fourth of July party was born.

Finn went to Carole, and Kurt came to me.

I didn't really need convincing. I'd been looking for an excuse to show Kurt that I could cook, or at least grill, ever since he got so good at baking.

That day was so hot.

And with fourteen teenagers running around, I probably remember it being even hotter than it actually was.

They were all playing touch football in the backyard. Even the girls, even Kurt.

And of course all the other guys were shirtless. It was hot. It was understood.

Until one bad throw, at least.

Finn was passing to Sam, and Blaine was going in for the interception. But Blaine tripped over his feet and fell on top of Sam. Two guys on top of each other, it's football. That's what happens in football.

But Kurt didn't get football.

All he saw was his boyfriend's hands all over Sam's abs. All he saw was Sam helping Blaine to his feet. And all he saw was the two of them smiling and laughing at each other, sweating and shirtless.

He didn't say anything about it right then. There was just a look on his face. _That_ look that he had when things weren't going his way. When he could see his everything crumbling right in front of him.

Of course, Blaine wasn't interested in anyone other than Kurt. But Kurt saw their interaction that day as an affirmation that Blaine's secret attraction to Sam was the sole reason he'd been playing basketball so much. To Kurt, it couldn't possibly have anything to do with Blaine just wanting to hang out with the guys. It had to be that Blaine had devised some kind of ploy to win over Sam for himself.

It simply wasn't something in Blaine's character. It sounded more like something Kurt would do. Something Kurt _had_ done in the past. I understood his more desperate attempts when they'd happened, when he was alone. It was my mistake to think that was all behind him since he'd started dating Blaine.

For the rest of the afternoon, Kurt was distant, more hurt than angry. Every time Blaine came up to him, he'd slink away, and Blaine would just shake it off.

Blaine knew something was wrong, but he was smart enough to wait until everyone had left to talk to Kurt about it.

Kurt had immediately snuck up to his bedroom once the last of the stragglers made their way home. Blaine, having sensed something was wrong, followed him up the stairs.

I like to tell myself that listening to their conversations wasn't eavesdropping. It was more of me ensuring that everything was going to be fine in my house. It was either listen to them work it out on their own or step in myself. I always tried to go with that first option.

"Kurt, would you like to tell me what's bothering you?"

"Not really."

"Come on, I can't make you happy if I don't know what's making you upset."

Kurt heaved a sigh.

"I'm just being stupid."

"I doubt that. You're one of the smartest people I know."

There was a pause. I knew Kurt was searching for the courage to look Blaine in the eyes and tell him everything he'd been thinking.

"I just have to know... Sam. Do you have feelings for him?"

"_Sam? Sam _is why you're upset?"

I heard Kurt's entire body fall back onto his bed.

"I told you it was stupid."

And they both laughed.

"It's _not_ stupid."

I could almost feel Kurt's face contorting in anger from outside the room.

"I _mean_, it's not stupid, because I should have picked up on the real reason why you were upset about me hanging out with Finn and his friends. However, it i_s_ stupid, because I know that you know how madly in love with you I am."

"You're not a mind reader, Blaine. I should have told you to begin with. It's just... today, you guys playing football... I don't know. He's so much more handsome than I'll ever be. He's like a blonde haired, perfectly toned god. I can never compete with that."

"_Compete with that? _Kurt, there's no one to compete with! You know the only person I was looking at out there was _you_... you in your long-sleeved shirt."

"Fashion is versatile for all weather conditions."

He paused.

"Can you just tell me one thing?"

"Of course."

"Why _did_ you start hanging out with those guys?"

"What do you mean?"

"Finn and Puck and _Sam_. Why do you like playing basketball with them and stuff? I'm just curious."

"Well," he took a deep breath, "it's not really _them_. I mean, Puck's sort of disgusting, and I'm perfectly aware that I could never carry on an even slightly intelligent conversation with either Finn or Sam. But... basketball, video games... they're just sort of a stress relief. You get it from putting outfits together. I get it from beating guys who are five inches taller than me at basketball."

Kurt laughed at the thought.

"And, well, _this_ is really going to sound stupid... but I'm kind of... _terrified_ about fitting in, you know? You've known these guys for a long time. I haven't. And I sort of want to be more than just _Kurt's boyfriend_ at McKinley, even if it is my proudest title."

They laughed.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, Kurt. I really am."

"No, no, I shouldn't have been so jealous. Blaine, you can hang out with whomever you please. I just... all I want is for you to be happy."

There was a pause. I knew they were smiling at each other, and Blaine was soaking it all in. He was remembering how happy he already was, how perfect the boy in front of him was, how easily they could solve a problem. Or at least I know that's what I was thinking.

"You are so beautiful, Kurt."

"You're not too bad looking yourself, stud."

"Oh, yeah? You like the shirtless look for me?"

"Are you kidding? I don't think there's anything I could enjoy looking at more."

"Mmm, I'll keep that in mind."

And _that_ was when I realized they had moved on from talking and were instead engaged in more physical pursuits. I let them be. That was the last thing I was interested in listening to, and they certainly deserved to be alone.

Well, at least for a few minutes until I convinced Finn to just open Kurt's door without knocking, fervently in search of a pair of black socks.

_Always_ funny.

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading, and I hope you'll send me your feedback! :)<p> 


	9. The Violence

I am seriously BLOWN AWAY by all of your amazing reviews for the last chapter! You guys are so amazing, and I cannot thank you enough for all of the time you've put into keeping up with this story and for sending me your incredible ideas. I completely agree with the most frequent and passionate feedback I got from all of you, and I say we just make Blaine and all of the guys shirtless for the rest of this fic (and every episode of Glee)... certainly couldn't hurt, right? :)

So, somehow, this is actually the longest chapter yet. I was very surprised when I looked down at my screen and saw how high this word count was. I wrote it a few times, actually, and I just kept adding and adding to make sure the point I'd come up with in my head actually came across well and in a way that was true to the characters. As a result, I'm actually really nervous about this one, and I'd love, love, love to hear what you think- good, bad, everything! Your feedback means the world to me, and I really hope you like it nonetheless! Also, I have definitely decided to make the summer spread over at least one more chapter (although I've currently got it set up for two). So, I promise I'll get to a bunch of your suggestions and hopefully some very happy moments for the guys!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Physical violence was rampant in our house that summer.<p>

I think the production of Kurt's musical might have actually been the most violent single occurrence. He spent hours hunched over our piano, and I know for a fact that Blaine and Finn played every single part in that play a countless number of times. Blaine was almost required to help Kurt, but I knew that no matter how many times he rolled his eyes during their rehearsals, he secretly thought the whole thing was adorable. As for Finn, well... I'd increased Finn's allowance by five bucks for putting up with Kurt's demands.

They'd rehearse in the living room, every Tuesday and Thursday.

"Wait, am I not Kate Middleton in this scene?" Blaine asked.

"No, you were Kate in the _last_ scene, but now you're Pippa."

"But I thought _you_ were always Pippa."

"I am, but right now I need to see this scene from an outsider's perspective."

"And I'm the King, right?" Finn asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"The King. Don't I get to be the King?"

"You do realize that currently there is no King of England, right?"

"Hold up. We watched that wedding about forty times, Kurt, and I swear to God there was a veiny guy standing next to the old lady. So, don't even try to tell me they aren't together."

Kurt sighed.

"Well, you are _half_ right. That's _Prince_ Philip. He's not the king, because he's not... Look, I don't have time to explain this to you. You're not Prince Philip, because Pippa and Prince Philip having a scene together is beyond preposterous. You're Harry."

"The bald guy?"

"_No_, the redhead."

"Why do I have to play the ginger?"

"Don't argue, Finn! Just read the lines!"

It was August when Finn finally cracked. And it was _Blaine_ who did his best to break up a physical fight between him and Kurt.

"Guys, come on! It's a _Pippa Middleton musical_. Kurt, you _need_ to calm down!"

"Do not tell me to calm down! _He's_ the one being completely irrational!"

At the time, that was easily the last thing I ever thought I'd see, Kurt and Finn _literally_ at each other's throats. The boys had been home alone, and I almost didn't believe what was happening right before my eyes when I opened the front door.

"Hey! What the hell is going on in here?"

Blaine let go of Kurt's shirt, and Finn took a step back, immediately pointing an accusatory finger at Kurt.

"Burt, he is _completely_ -"

"Oh, don't _even_, Finn! Dad, you have _no idea_-"

Finn shoved Kurt again and just barely missed knocking down Blaine in the process. Kurt fought right back, and that time _I_ stepped in to gruffly push them away from one another.

"What has gotten into you guys?"

Both of them were huffing like they'd just gone twelve rounds, though I figured they'd maybe shoved each other a few times at most.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, alright? We talk about this rationally, or we don't talk about it at all, and the three of you can enjoy being without a car for the next week. Your pick."

They were uncomfortably silent at first. Kurt crossed his arms, and Finn shifted his feet, while Blaine looked back and forth at both of them, waiting for one or the other to make some kind of decision.

"Well... I think I can speak for all three of us by saying that we would like to take the first option while it's still on the table," Blaine said with a clap.

I tried to hide a smile. That was just so Blaine.

"That's better. Now, _sit._"

They all sat down on the couch, still riling. Blaine sat between Finn and Kurt who were still refusing to look at each other. I stood in front of them, still utterly confused.

"Now, you guys have been working on this thing for months, and all of a sudden, I come in and you're knocking each other around? Somebody explain this to me."

All three of them started at once, shouting and accusing. It was madness.

"Hey! One at a time!" I shouted.

And they were silent.

"Finn, you first."

"Why does _he_ get to go first?"

"Because I said so."

Kurt rolled his eyes. Finn took a deep breath. And I held my ground.

"Kurt wants do his musical, and he already got permission from Mr. Schue to do it for a school assembly."

He paused. _Was that it? Really?_

"I'm sorry. I think I'm missing what the problem is exactly."

"Well, the problem is that Kurt suddenly decided to switch up all the roles! And I've gotta play the princess. Look, she's smokin' hot, but I'm _not_ getting up in front of the entire school in some Benjamin McKeen gown to make a complete ass out of myself."

"_Alexander McQueen_."

"Not your turn yet."

"So, I told Kurt I didn't want to do it, and we argued, and he called me a-"

"Unnecessary detail, Finn!"

Finn rolled his eyes.

"_He called me_ a 'murderer of all that is beautiful' and shoved me. Heat of the moment, it's all he could think of. Still sort of embarrassing, though."

Kurt was livid.

"But then he shoved me again, and like _begged_ me to shove him back. So, you know, I did. And well, yeah. Then you came in."

Kurt shoved _Finn _first? I mean, I should've known that Finn would never touch Kurt. He was practically Kurt's protection detail. Kurt had been working day and night on that musical, for hours and hours. He was angry and stressed out. I imagined that when Kurt told _Blaine_ about the idea, he'd at the very least feigned his excitement, but Finn was just going to speak his mind. Couldn't blame him for that.

"Kurt, _why_ did you change the parts?"

"_Because_ the three of us have been playing them all summer, and Blaine and Finn are better at the roles than Rachel and the other girls. It's all in the artistic direction! If he would just open up his eyes for one second, he would see that."

He did have a point. So much of dealing with three completely different teenage boys was making an effort to see things through all of their eyes.

"And what about you, Blaine? You throw any punches?"

"No, sir. Just trying to break it up. I came in right before you did."

Yes, it was August, and he was still doing that when he thought he might be in trouble. I'd even talked to him about it a few times, but it was like a reflex. He'd totally moved on from everything else, but the "sir" was so much harder than I'd expected. It never really went away, just sort of got quieter.

I took a deep breath. Kurt was upset, and Finn didn't like being made to feel guilty for not wanting to do something. I had to treat it like a normal argument between the two of them, as if Kurt had never shoved his brother, because they were both right, and they had to know that. But in the end, one of them had to be more right than the other. Reluctantly, I knew what I had to do.

"Finn, Blaine, upstairs."

"Great, great, of course," Kurt complained.

The two boys retreated up the stairs, Blaine leaving Kurt with one last fleeting look.

"Kurt."

"Dad."

"Will you please just look at me?"

He tilted his head up and looked right into my eyes. I knew he'd spent countless hours making that musical perfect. And I was just going to have to disappoint him.

"You can't _make_ Finn do something he doesn't wanna do."

"But shouldn't he just _want_ to do it? He's been great playing Kate Middleton all summer, but now that his reputation is at stake, he's suddenly changed his mind."

"Kurt, are you sure Finn actually realized he was playing Kate all summer?"

He considered it carefully and sighed.

"No, probably not."

"Finn's not gonna see these things your way. It's just never gonna happen. Just like you're never gonna see things his way."

Kurt squirmed in his seat.

"Switch the parts. Finn can be the prince, and Rachel can be the princess, and you can be whoever the hell you want to be. And I'll be on the front row to see it."

He sighed.

"I'll figure it out. Can I go?"

"Yeah, fine, you can go."

And he disappeared up the stairs.

That was actually the only time the physical violence was for any sort of emotional reason. Most of it was Blaine wrestling with Finn and his friends. Once they realized the best way to escape the heat was to do the same things inside that they used to do outside, the upstairs turned into something of a wrestling ring.

I'd never dealt with that boyish instinct to hit other guys for no apparent reason with Kurt. But Blaine had it. And Finn definitely had it. And when Finn's friends were over, Kurt went out of his way to make himself scarce. Blaine would give him a warning, and Kurt would just get in his car and find somewhere else he needed to be.

They'd play video games at first, but then it was like some sort of animal took over them, and they'd just started knocking each other around. Obviously, they never intentionally meant to hurt each other. They were just rough housing, just being guys.

But on a few occasions, it got a little bit out of hand.

Particularly the time somewhere around mid-July when Blaine got in one good shove and Puckerman tumbled down the stairs, his entire body hitting the wall with a loud smack.

I was in the kitchen when I heard the noise resound through the house, followed by a deep groan and then sheer panic.

"Oh my God... Puck... holy shit, are you okay? I'm _so_ sorry."

"Jesus, Anderson, you've got more strength than you'd think. That was actually kind of awesome. How much air did I get?"

When I stormed into the living room and halfway up the stairs to meet them, Blaine immediately straightened his shoulders. Finn looked like he was trying to find the right words to push as much blame away from him as possible, while Blaine just looked like he was about to throw up.

That was the first time I'd ever had a solid reason to be angry at Blaine, to scream at him for doing something wrong. But I didn't want to scare him. It was still so delicate, because I figured that Blaine had never been yelled at without getting the crap beaten out of him as well. I also knew that he'd _never_ done anything like throwing a human being down a flight of stairs when he lived with his dad. I calmed down as much as possible.

"Alright, you guys. That's it, and I'm serious. No more. You take it outside, or you're done. Puckerman, you gonna be okay?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

They all seemed stunned that I hadn't completely blown my lid.

Puck got to his feet, only to reveal a huge scuff mark on the wall. From his body? His shoes? I never figured that out, but it was really bad, and I knew Carole would be livid if she found out that someone had been thrown down her stairs... but probably even angrier if she saw that mark on the wall.

"_Wow,_" was all Blaine could say. He was a mixture of overwhelmingly terrified and slightly impressed with himself.

Finn's expression had transformed into pure fear of what his mom would do to Blaine when she got home, and Puck was a combination of the other two, mixed with at least some measure of pain.

I had to take charge, or we'd have been there staring at each other and that wall all day.

"Okay. This is what we're gonna do. Puck, there's a tarp in the upstairs closet. Grab it and then get yourself some ice. Finn, find the paint brushes and the right jar from the garage. They should be on that top shelf. And Blaine, go change your clothes, because you're painting this wall."

They were completely still.

"_Now._"

And they all muttered some form of "Oh, yeah, right, on it," and quickly scattered away.

Kurt _loved_ hearing that story. The three boys were in the living room, and Kurt was sitting on the couch with Blaine's head in his lap. Blaine had showered after he painted the wall and left his hair ungelled for Kurt's enjoyment. Finn was in my chair, his entire arm lost in a bag of potato chips.

"I felt _so _bad. I've seen movies where people _die _from falling down the stairs, Kurt. What if I had _killed_ Noah Puckerman?"

"You guys were practically asking for it! Stop throwing people down stairs, and maybe then you wouldn't have to worry about murdering members of the glee club. _That_ is Sue Sylvester's job."

He laughed.

"Trust me, that's the last time I throw anyone down any stairs. I _still_ smell like paint. And there's no way Carole isn't going to smell that wall when she gets home."

"Yeah, man, you're pretty much done for."

"Thank you, Finn. That's very helpful."

"Don't listen to him, Blaine. It looks as good as new."

"That doesn't mean my mom won't kick your ass. I can't even count the number of times she's yelled at me for wrestling in the house. She hates it, and _I've_ never even broken anything... or messed up her wall."

Blaine groaned and brought his knees to his chest. He'd never dealt with the wrath of a mother. He had no idea what to expect.

I knew that Carole would be angry, and if it'd been Finn, she'd have probably killed him. But it wasn't Finn. It was Blaine, the wounded puppy, the boyfriend of her new husband's son. And he _did_ fix it, good as new, just like Kurt said. She might tell him to be more careful next time, but that would be the end of it.

I figured I'd let Blaine suffer for a bit, though.

But I should have known better. In the long run, what unfolded was the right thing to happen. But at the time, I should have come to Kurt's defense and told Finn to stop trying to scare Blaine, that Carole wouldn't be mad at all.

Because when it turned out _she_ wasn't... Blaine _was_.

The three of us were inspecting the wall, and I knew Finn and Kurt were somewhere hidden at the top of the stairs, ready to see what Carole's reaction would be. Blaine was expecting to have his ass handed to him, but instead Carole actually _complimented_ the paint job.

It wasn't even a slap on the wrist. She was practically congratulating him.

When we sent him upstairs, I knew something was wrong. He wasn't in trouble. He hadn't been yelled at. Instead, he'd practically been ignored. It took me awhile to realize that that hurt so much more than any punishment we could've doled out.

I should have said something to him. I should have realized right then what he was feeling. But I just let him walk upstairs. And I let him brood.

It wasn't until later that night that he helped me figure it out.

Carole was asleep, and I was in the living room. It was past midnight, so I was surprised to hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Hey."

"Hey there."

"Sorry, I know I'm supposed to be in my room, but I... uh, I thought I heard the television, and I was sort of hoping it'd be you."

"That's alright. Sit down."

He sat down on the couch across from my chair but stayed silent.

"What are you still doing up?"

"Uh, couldn't sleep."

He was making me fish for it. It was like he was ashamed of the reason he wanted to talk to me. I turned off the television.

"Any particular reason?"

He sighed and looked around the room, making sure he really wanted to tell me what was bothering him.

"It's just... today. The whole thing with the wall. I'm probably just being crazy, but I can't stop thinking about it. I pushed Puck down a flight of stairs, and it messed up the wall, and it was _my_ fault, but it was like... it was like nothing happened! And all that stuff Finn was saying... I don't know. I know I shouldn't be complaining about _not_ getting in trouble, but I can't help wondering why I didn't."

He was so fixated on the words. It was almost as if he'd rehearsed them, like he'd really been thinking about it for hours. I thought that letting him off the hook was the right thing to do, but it turned out to be the exact opposite.

I needed to focus very carefully on my words. I always found myself tiptoeing around talking to Blaine. I was amazed to find out that was the very last thing he wanted from me.

"I think Finn was just trying to rattle you."

He looked so offended. I'd lied to him, and he knew it.

"Am I actually supposed to believe that?"

I stared at him. He was a man, and he deserved to be treated like one. He deserved the truth.

"Look, Blaine, this is tricky for all of us. I'm still trying to figure out how to do this."

He took a lot of time to think about exactly what that meant.

"Finn. If it had been Finn, what would you have done?"

Of course. It made so much sense. That was all he wanted. He wanted to be Finn. He wanted to be Kurt. He just wanted to belong in that house. I was such an idiot for not seeing it sooner. I didn't even know how to respond.

"Blaine,-" I started, with no intention of answering his question.

"No, tell me. I really want to know. What would you have done? Would you have yelled at him?"

"Well, yeah. Yeah, I would've yelled at him."

He was so big in that moment, so confident.

"Then yell at me."

I was stunned.

"Excuse me?"

"Do what you would have done to Finn. Yell at me. Really get in my face."

"Blaine, I'm not gonna do that."

He was so angry. He wanted one thing, and I wasn't giving it to him.

"Why not? Because of my dad? Because I'm not really a part of this family? Because before today, I thought I was, and if you're not going to treat me like you'd treat Finn and Kurt, then... then what am I supposed to think?"

He'd never been so honest with me, so disappointed in me. I felt terrible.

So, I went for it.

"You want me to yell at you?"

"I want you to yell at me."

I knew what I had to do. It was never the way I imagined getting there, but it wasn't an option.

I stood up and walked over to him, crossing my arms. He looked up at me and swallowed hard.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking? You throw a guy twice your size down a flight of stairs and you think that's okay? Right, it's Puck, it's no big deal, huh? Two years ago, he was the enemy, throwing my son in dumpsters and all sorts of things. You think he can't hurt you, even if you guys are just messing around?"

I had no idea where it was all coming from. I was just yelling, and my hands were waving around, and I just kept going, not thinking for one second about the weight of the words, what yelling at a broken kid might do.

"Let's say you do. You get hurt. Who do you think is responsible for that? _Me._ You gonna put that on me? You think it's alright to not give a damn about any kind of consequences? Because that's what it looks like you're saying to me!"

"This is amazing."

"And what is this house, an episode of professional wrestling? You treat a house with respect. You don't scuff up the walls acting like a jackass with your friends! Other people live here too, and did you ever think that maybe those other people might like a quiet moment without having to wonder if someone's about to have his neck snapped upstairs? You know what? No, no, you did not. You just pushed him right down anyways, and you didn't think about anything at all. So, you're done, alright? You're..."

It was so heat of the moment.

"You're grounded. One week, no hanging out with Finn and the guys."

He was silent, considering.

"So, that's what you would've said to Finn?"

I sighed, still completely stunned I'd even said all that stuff in the first place.

"That's what I would've said to Finn."

He smiled. He _actually_ smiled. That kid was always surprising me.

"And am I really grounded?"

That was so key. He had to know whether I was just _saying_ what I'd say to Finn or if I really meant it. If he was _Kurt's boyfriend_ or if he was my son.

"Yeah, you are."

He looked down at his knees and then back at me.

"Thank you."

I can't make this stuff up. That's really what he said. The damn kid thanked me for grounding him. Definitely the last time that happened, and I relished it.

"You have lost your mind, you know that?"

He laughed.

"I'm serious! Could you maybe try convincing the other two to be even half as grateful as you are?"

He nodded, and a grin took over his entire face.

"Uh, yeah... yes, sir, I'll talk to them."

"Good. Now, go to bed. I'll probably be waking you up early tomorrow morning to pull the weeds in the front yard."

He sighed and moved toward the stairs, the smile still attached to his face.

"Looking forward to it. Goodnight, Burt."

He turned back to me.

"And seriously... thank you."

He never ceased to amaze me. All he wanted was to be treated the same way Kurt and Finn were, to be an equal part of our family. And of course that was all I wanted for him too. It'd just take me awhile to perfect every detail to make him just that. As hard as I tried, and as many times I thought I was doing the right thing, sometimes I was going to screw up, and sometimes I just needed his help to tell me what the right thing was. I got lucky, because somehow, he always did.

"Any time, kid."

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and send me your thoughts if you get the chance! :)<p> 


	10. The Coaster

Thanks for all of your reviews, everyone! Here's chapter ten, and although the ending sounds like a huge wrap-up to this story, I promise that as long as you guys want to see this story head to McKinley, it will continue. I'm really excited about this chapter, and in my opinion, it's the most Burt-centric chapter to date, though there are a bunch of your ideas throughout the chapter from all of the amazing reviews!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Kurt and Blaine came home one night reeking of cheap beer.<p>

According to them, though, I should've just been happy they didn't show up in the back of a cop car.

It happened about a week before school started at McKinley. Blaine got a call from Wes who was throwing a party in town, and he wanted one last hurrah before they started a new year at Dalton without him.

Of course, I was all for it. Blaine had barely seen those guys all summer, and as I've been told many times by both Kurt and Blaine, there's nothing quite like partying with an all guys a cappella choir.

They opened the door three minutes before curfew, silently wishing that I had been upstairs asleep rather than sitting in my chair in the living room.

"Hey, you guys have fun?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of the newspaper in front of me.

"Um," Kurt started, "I don't necessarily know if _fun _is the right word."

I turned around to see two boys who looked nothing like themselves. Blaine was pale, and his hair was a wreck. Kurt was hugging himself.

"Everything okay, guys?" I asked slowly. "Come on, sit down."

I motioned for them to take a seat on the couch, but their feet stood firm. They nervously glanced at one another, as if they had no idea where they were or if they were even capable of making the decision to sit down on their own. I knew something was wrong, so I stood up, grabbed onto both of their arms, and led them to the couch myself.

That was when I smelled it.

"Have you two been drinking?"

Blaine sighed and reluctantly let his knees give way to take a seat next to Kurt.

"No, sir, but you're not the first person to think that tonight."

"Well, I sure would love to hear some kind of explanation as to why your shirt is covered in- Wait, that's... that's not the shirt _you_ left in. That's the one _you _got for-"

"Okay, Dad, I know this looks bad, but we can explain. Please, just hear us out."

I was furious. Those two come home, covered in beer, wearing each others clothes, looking like hell. What was I supposed to think?

"It looks pretty damn bad, Kurt."

My head was actually starting to ache in rage. I could not believe I was seeing. _What the hell were they thinking?_ I wanted to scream. But I couldn't. Not yet, not until I heard what they had to say.

"I know, I know. But Dad, it's really not, I promise. Blaine, why don't you..."

Blaine looked terrified at the idea of recalling everything that had happened but Kurt nodded for him to proceed.

"Yeah, uh... okay, sure. I'll start."

He cleared his throat, trying to summon enough courage to get through the story.

"So, we get to the party, and, well, the... the Warblers basically are hammered out of their minds."

Kurt almost choked.

"Maybe leave out some of the less important details, Blaine."

He looked at me, back to Kurt, and then back to his hands in his lap.

"Right, sorry. Well, um, they're drinking. You know, it's a party. But Kurt and I didn't have any!" he added very quickly, making eye contact with me. "I was driving, and he was worried about alcohol's effects on his pores. So, not a drink for either of us. Well, Kurt and I are dancing, we're in the back, and we're ma-... um, well, we're-"

Kurt covered his face in his hands, clearly indicating for Blaine to leave that part out as well, while Blaine let out a slightly nervous but also _remembering_ laugh. I didn't press him to finish that sentence, because regardless of how angry I was in that moment, I _did_ understand that they were still seventeen-year-old boys, and getting a private moment alone in that house was damn near impossible. The last thing I wanted to hear were the graphic details, and hey, at least they hadn't been drinking.

"_Continue_."

Blaine took another deep breath.

"Okay, so, we're all having a good time, but, uh... some things just sort of got out of hand. Somebody accidentally poured a drink on Kurt, so I offered to switch shirts with him. But I guess I sort of put this thing on inside out, didn't I?"

Kurt looked to Blaine and his face broke out into an embarrassed smile.

"Oh, wow. Yes, you did. I didn't even notice that until now."

He paused.

"That actually looks _really_ good on you."

"Oh, yeah? I'll have to borrow this some time."

"_Maybe_, if I can ever get the stain out!"

"_Guys._"

They snapped out of it, their smiles fading, Kurt removing his hand from Blaine's thigh, and Blaine's head popping back in my direction.

"Sorry. So, well, the party _itself_ was really fun, but when I turned on the car to come home, my front headlight went out."

I sighed, already seeing where the story was headed.

"But, uh, it was late, and we were trying to get home, and, you know, the police are always around at night. So, we got pulled over."

Blaine sighed and ran a hand through his hair, something I imagined he'd already done about a hundred times that night.

"Well, he smelled the beer, and when he saw that we were only seventeen, he made us get out of the car. I did the Breathalyzer thing, and do you have any idea how hard that is? You can't get enough air, and then you start feeling lightheaded, and then-"

"Blaine," I said, urging him to get on with it.

"I also walked in a line and said the ABCs backwards, also difficult even if you are sober. And, I mean, at least he believed our story. But, um, well..."

He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the ticket. I let out a sigh much deeper than I had expected.

"It's not that bad, _really_. I've got enough money saved to cover it, but apparently I need to get my license changed to the new address, and my father finally cut me off of his insurance plan, so the vehicle isn't registered anymore, and-"

He was talking so fast, and his voice was so high. I'd never seen him so panicked, so desperately trying to stay in control of a quickly unravelling situation.

"Blaine, take a breath."

He followed my instruction and covered his mouth with a fist, his elbow rested on his knee. He looked so ashamed, like he'd tried so hard to be responsible, to make sure everything was perfect, but he'd failed so miserably.

"I just... I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

I saw that look of defeat in his eyes again, the one I'd seen when he came into my shop what felt like years before that night. There was only one thing _to_ do, without hesitation.

"You let me handle it, alright? Keys?"

He tossed them to me.

"I'll fix the headlight, and we'll go to the DMV for that license on Monday."

I paused.

"Everything'll be fine, I promise."

I was back to making promises.

Kurt smiled, silently thanking me, but Blaine was stunned. It was almost as if he wasn't expecting me to believe the story. Like I'd just smell the beer, see the clothes, make an assumption, and kick his ass. My house didn't work that way. If I didn't listen to them, I couldn't expect them to listen to me. I always heard my boys out, and if they screwed up, I made them pay for it, but when they just got in a bad situation, it was out of anybody's control.

More importantly, I trusted them. They were good kids, and they didn't lie to me. At least not when it counted.

He didn't do anything wrong. He'd actually done everything right _and_ beaten himself up for it.

After I sent the boys to bed, I found myself contemplating what had just happened.

I'd made everything okay. I'd fixed what Blaine had thought was a huge problem with a few little words. I'd made him feel safe and secure and protected. He had nothing to worry about. I was there to handle it.

And that's when I knew what it was finally time to do.

It was still dark when I woke all of them up.

It was something of a tradition. The summer before my senior year, that's what my father did for me, and my whole life, I expected that's what I'd do for Kurt.

But instead, I had three boys to wake up that day.

Kurt wasn't necessarily surprised when I shook him awake. He'd heard parts of the story from his grandfather, and I knew he'd never forgotten it. He'd just been biding his time since he'd come home from New York.

But Finn and Blaine were clueless, and Finn was almost impossible to pry from his bed.

"Whashreyou, mmmm?"

"Finn, come on, get up."

"But it's... no, _no_. Mmmm, what?"

"Just get up, get dressed, and be downstairs in ten minutes."

Once they were all gathered in the living room, still sleepy-eyed, we piled into the truck.

Finn was in the front with me, and Kurt and Blaine were in the back, using each other as human pillows for the long drive ahead.

By the time that ride was over, Blaine had perfectly nestled himself in the crook of Kurt's neck, and Finn had fogged up the passenger side window with his steady breaths.

It was a lot to ask from them so early in the morning. I barge into their rooms, drag them out of their beds, pile them in the truck, and don't even give them a simple explanation. It was all about the effect, really. Even Kurt had no _real_ idea of what was in store. My dad had told him about the time he woke me up in the middle of the night, but that was it. He could never really know until he saw it for himself.

It was all about timing. Being there for the sunrise was imperative. I pulled into the parking lot, shamelessly trespassing. The sudden unlock of the car doors made Finn jump and slam his head into the window, which, of course, woke up the other two sleeping boys.

When they looked out the windows, they were at something of a loss for words. It wasn't even close to what Kurt was expecting.

"We're here," I announced.

"Wait. Seriously?" Kurt asked.

"Seriously. Come on, here we go."

We got out of the car, and I was pleased by the looks of confusion on all of their faces. I like to think that's what I looked like when I was their age, completely bewildered as to why my dad had taken me there at half past six in the morning.

We passed through an old gate, and though no one said a word, I could feel their anticipation increasing.

"Alright, this is good."

We stopped, and I let the boys get a good look at their surroundings. It was a lot to take in, especially when they had no idea where they were or why they were there.

"Okay," I turned around to face them, "any guesses as to where we are?"

It was Blaine who answered quickly.

"We're in Lorain, at Visionland, aren't we? Or, at least what used to be Visionland until it was run out of business. I figured they'd torn this place down ages ago."

"You're right. We're in Lorain. And _this_ used to be Visionland."

I had never seen Finn so confused. I assumed he'd never been there before, and I knew Kurt hadn't. My son was slightly shivering, but whether it was from the uncharacteristically chilly August air or the abandoned amusement park relics around him, I'm not sure. Blaine was remembering something that wasn't part of the plan, and I decided to make my case quickly.

I took a deep breath.

"This place didn't always used to be an abandoned amusement park. My dad brought me here when I was your age, and back then it was a restaurant. When his father brought him here, it was a factory. And when _his_ father brought him here, it was their house."

I paused.

"My father taught me a lot of things. He taught me how to make a living, support a family... he taught me how to be a man. And when I was seventeen, you know... I didn't have any idea what that meant. It wasn't something I was concerned with. I was popular, I was on top of the world. Why would I want to change anything?"

Kurt reflexively glanced at Finn.

"And then my father took me here. He pointed right there, right over the water, and he said, 'Do you know what that is?' I told him that it was Lake Erie, but he disagreed with me. He said that it was... that it was the depths of my future."

"Oh my God, this is exactly like _The Lion King_," Kurt whispered to Blaine.

I shook my head and laughed.

"I didn't get what he was trying to say either. We were outside of a restaurant, and it was still dark out, and I wasn't really paying attention."

I smiled.

"You guys won't get it right now, but I want you to think about all the things that have come before where you're standing. I want you to think about all the things you've tackled in your lives, and I want you to figure out how you got here."

They were all concentrating very hard. Finn stared at his shoes, and Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist. I tried to envision the things they were thinking about. Family, school, adversity... they'd been through a hell of a lot of stuff, and my scope couldn't even see the half of it.

"I want you to realize something very important. You can't really plan anything in your life. You think you've got some huge control over it, but then... all of a sudden, your restaurant's an amusement park. And you have no idea how it happened."

The light slowly began to peak over the water.

"One minute you're sleeping in your bed, and the next you're standing in front of a broken down roller coaster. It goes by too quickly, boys. And you've only got one go at it. You have to _do it right_. And you have to remember that everything you do and everything you say, matters. Somewhere along the road, it matters. To you, to everyone you know. It puts your world on a course that you can't navigate by yourself."

Finn's eyes were fixed on the slowly rising sun.

"And every day you grow up, and you welcome people into your lives, and you realize that you're not kids anymore. You realize that you've got these responsibilities, and _you're_ the only one who can fulfill them. You become bigger than yourselves, because you become someone to another person. And you can't let them down."

I looked to my son who was thinking of his mother, tears forming in his eyes.

"I want you guys to have fun this year, but I also want you to sort of be... getting ready, I guess. Outside of football and glee club and whatever, there are people who are waiting for you to come into their lives. They just don't know it yet. And you don't know it yet either, but they're out there. They're just... they're just lost in the waves right now."

I paused.

When I was their age, I never could have imagined that my life would have looked the way it did on that day. I never could have imagined that I'd lose my wife far too soon but later join my family with another and welcome a step-son into my home. I never could have imagined that my son would be gay. That he'd fall in love, and I'd welcome that boy, who'd so quickly become like my own son, into my home as well. We were far from ordinary, but it was almost as if it'd all been lined up from the very beginning, even from that dark morning outside the restaurant.

They were such good kids, and I was so proud of them.

"Think about the circumstances of you boys meeting. Think about the odds of duplicating it if you had the chance to do it all again. They're one in a million. Think about your lives without each other. Who would you be, and would you even like that person?"

I could almost hear their thoughts rushing. Kurt running into Blaine on the steps at Dalton. Finn asking for Kurt's advice when he thought he was about to be a father. Blaine sobbing at my kitchen table.

I took a hard look at the boys, contemplating if I'd made my point. They were still a bit dazed, but their wide eyes and stiff smiles were enough of an indication for me.

"Alright, come on, let's go before we get arrested for trespassing."

We walked back to the car in silence, and we got breakfast on the way home.

We laughed, and we talked, and I just knew that _that_ was it. That was what my father and his father and his father before him had been talking about. _That_ was what it meant to be a man, to come through for someone who relied on you, to never give up on him, and to just _be there_, even for the little things.

I was pretty damn happy with the man I'd turned out to be, and I couldn't be more satisfied in that moment, knowing that I'd be a part of shaping the three men in front of me.

Their waves were already crashing, and I couldn't stop smiling about it.

* * *

><p>Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you'll send me some more of your ideas! You guys rock!<p> 


	11. The First

Thank you SO much for all of the incredible reviews for the last chapter! I'm so sorry that messed up a bit with the alerts for chapter nine, but hopefully everyone is all caught up now and is willing to dive into chapter eleven!

I got a lot of input from you guys about where to direct this story, but, ultimately, I decided to stay right here and take these guys to McKinley. I've got a lot of big ideas, and this chapter is only the very beginning!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>That first day of school was mortifying.<p>

I mean, I knew things weren't going to be great. Of course I did. No day at school was ever really _great_ for Kurt, and I had expected to multiply that a few times over for Blaine's very first day.

I just wanted things to be perfect for him, for all of them. My expectations were just set too high, and it took much longer than I liked for the rest of the world to catch up.

I drove Blaine to school, because the two of us had to sit down with Figgins for a few things. Finn and Kurt rode together, and Blaine would ride home with them in the afternoon.

For the entire drive, Blaine was tapping his knee.

"Nervous?"

"Sort of."

That was an understatement. He was terrified, I could tell. He had every reason to be terrified. I knew the Bullywhips were more of a ploy to get Kurt to come back to McKinley than anything else and that they'd have no real establishment that year. I knew Karofsky wouldn't be making any moves, but he wouldn't be walking anybody to and from class either.

"Don't be. You'll be great."

"That's not really what I'm concerned about."

The attitude and the shields only got worse once he started at McKinley.

"Well, Karofsky's-"

"It's not Karofsky either," he paused. "It's Kurt."

That was unexpected.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he already gets enough crap at this school, and I know how much it means to him for me to be here. And, I don't know. I just don't want to screw anything up for him. I don't want him to... to suffer even more on my behalf. That's not fair."

Of course. He was always looking out for Kurt before himself, always saw Kurt as his duty to protect. He wasn't focused on what would happen to him that day but what would happen to Kurt _because_ of what would happen to him. I knew there was no way he'd told Kurt that, though, and a part of me was always a little flattered every time I remembered that Blaine was confiding something in me first.

He just needed some kind of reassurance that everything was going to be okay. I don't think he ever believed that it would be, no matter how many times so many people told him it would.

"Kurt knows what he's getting himself into, and you're worth it."

"You're just saying that."

"I don't just say things, kid."

And we pulled into the parking lot. We talked with Figgins, shook hands, signed a few more papers, and he was good to go. As we were walking out of the office, I could see Blaine's hands clearly shaking.

"Just take a deep breath, alright. You're gonna be fine."

"Sorry, public school flashback," he said with a gulp, "I'm gonna be fine."

We spotted Kurt at his locker, and Blaine quickened his pace to meet him.

"Excuse me, um, hi, could I ask you a question? I'm new here."

Kurt looked at his boyfriend with a huge smile, gasping to remember the right words.

"I'm Kurt."

"Blaine."

I was fairly certain he'd been planning that for weeks now, but I knew Kurt thought it was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen and had to do everything in his power not to be overly affectionate in the middle of the hallway.

I said goodbye to the boys and left the school. I spent that entire day at work with worry gnawing at the pit of my stomach. A part of me knew that they were strong boys, and I _had_ had a serious man-to-man with Finn the night before.

"You look after them, alright?"

"Of course."

"And the other guys?"

"They're always looking out for Kurt."

"Well, hey, that's my point, Finn. It's not just Kurt now. It's Blaine too. You guys have got to divide and conquer here."

"Blaine's... Blaine doesn't need a protection detail like Kurt."

I considered very carefully what he said. Blaine was a strong kid, sure. But he was weaker than Kurt on that day. He'd always be weaker than Kurt at that school, where no one knew him, where no one would see him as anything more than that guy who'd run after the school's male Prom Queen. I'd be damned if Finn and his buddies had gotten so used to Blaine as just being one of the guys that they looked over that fact.

"You'll look after both of them, you understand me?"

His eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand you."

And he really did, but I still worried.

Of course it turned out I was right to be worried, because when I got home that day, Kurt was in the kitchen, fervently scrubbing something purple out of Blaine's shirt.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on?"

"It's like they put some new kind of stain in them, Dad. Grape is the worst, but it's never been this impossible to get out of a t-shirt. It took me an hour to scrub it out of my vest, but it's almost like cotton is _worse_."

"Of course. Slushied, right?"

"Oh, not just slushied. Slushied _multiple _times. I was only there for one of them, but it was like the entire school _knew_ he was coming and stalked him or something. It was awful. He's still trying to get the corn syrup out of his hair."

I could hear the water running upstairs, and I figured he'd been in there for hours. My stomach dropped.

"How awful? Is he alright?"

"Yeah, I think he's okay. Nothing he wasn't at least mildly prepared for. Admittedly more than _I_ was prepared for, though. I mean, one slushie, sure. I saw that coming, but _three_ times, and two of them were mobs?"

He sighed.

"It'll get better, I hope. He's just going to have to get used to changing his clothes in the middle of the day and maybe start wearing goggles."

I knew Kurt always kept a spare set of clothes in his locker and in his car, always ready for something to go wrong. But Blaine had been in a safe haven for years. He wasn't as prepared as Kurt, and he certainly wasn't ready to be scrubbing food dye out of his eyes everyday.

"That's not what I like to hear."

"Well, you know, it's not what I like to hear either, but that's the way it is."

"Hey, come on, I'm just saying -"

"I'm sorry, Dad. I know, and I want this to go away as much as you do, but it's not that easy."

I took a deep breath.

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"Not really. I mean, he said he's fine, but I don't know. And before you say anything, _no_, you don't need to talk to him. I'm will later, once he's sort of had some time to himself."

He was right. It was their thing. School didn't involve me. It was their place, their issues that they understood so much more than I did. If there was anyone who could solve it or at least make Blaine feel better, it was Kurt.

"Well, did anything else, besides the abuse of a frozen drink, happen today?"

He dropped the sponge and something that looked vaguely like terror spread across his face.

"Wait, you haven't talked to Finn yet?"

"I have not. Why?"

"Hm, well,_ that's_ going to be an exciting story to tell. I'll leave that one for the dinner table."

"_Kurt_ -"

"Oh, no, this is Finn's tale to tell, not mine. You can hear it from him."

And at dinner, I did hear it from him. He was chewing a particularly large piece of chicken when I brought it up, and the mention almost made him choke.

"You _told_ him?"

"Wait, was I not supposed to?"

"Kurt, you can't just-"

"Hey, it doesn't matter who told me. I know now, so spill."

I couldn't imagine what could be so awful that Finn would get upset at Kurt for telling me about it, as if I wouldn't find out somehow anyway. Blaine was completely silent, his eyes actually still red from the slushies.

Finn took a deep breath, and he was very quiet.

"I've been cut from the football team."

"Excuse me?"

He sighed.

"Yeah, Beiste cut me for... well, for..."

He looked to Blaine.

"For what?" I asked.

"Beiste cut him for starting a fight with another guy on the team who pushed me into a locker. Cut that guy too, at least. And... Puck."

"Wait, why'd Puckerman get cut?"

"Well, Puck was the one who actually got him into the sleeper hold. I think Lauren taught him or something. But, apparently Coach Beiste is on some kind of new kick to get the whole team together, and if anyone gets into a fight with anyone else, he's done. She's really serious about it this year, I guess. But, it'll be okay. Mr. Schue's gonna talk to her, and I think they can work it out. Or, I mean, well, yeah, he got her to change her mind last year, right? I think... I think he can do it again."

"Finn, I'm really-"

"Dude, you've apologized like fourteen times today already. You don't need to say it again."

He looked so guilty and so terrible, but he didn't say another word.

We tried to find other things to talk about for the rest of dinner, but Finn and Blaine both weren't much in the mood for making conversation, so the bulk of it fell to Kurt, who did his best to keep things lively by chatting expressively with Carole about her new haircut.

I knew it'd be hard for Blaine, but I had no idea it could be as hard as it was. He took it all like it didn't _really _bother him for most of the day, especially when I was around. There were a lot of blank expressions followed by "I'm fine." More than I was comfortable with.

It wasn't until much later that night when I heard Kurt trying to console him through a door that wasn't supposed to be closed.

"Shhhh, it's okay. It's okay. Look, it'll be better tomorrow. I promise."

I heard a sharp intake of air followed by a sniffle and half a laugh.

"I'm being so stupid, I know. I've dealt with so much worse than this. It's just... just, Jesus, Kurt. How do you do that everyday? I'd forgotten what it was like."

"Well, in all honesty, I've never had a day quite like that."

Blaine whined, and I could hear his body hitting the bed.

"No, no, no more of that. Come here. Look at me. We're going to get through this. You and I are going to get through this. You've gotten me through the most terrible moments of my life at McKinley, Blaine, and now I'm going to get you through yours. Okay?"

There was a long pause.

"Yeah... no, you're right. Okay. I just can't help still feeling terrible, though."

"Well, that never really goes away."

"I know."

There was a pause, and knowing Kurt, he was tilting his head to one side and pursing his lips.

"There's something else, isn't there?"

"I just... I just feel so _guilty_."

"Why do you say that?"

"I feel like, like you wouldn't be going through this if it wasn't for me. You and _Finn_ and Puck. God, how many lives did I ruin today?"

"Don't you dare say that. I wouldn't be _getting_ through this if it wasn't for you. I need you, Blaine. And you need me too."

There was what I thought was silence but had actually turned into more tears.

"You're right. We should just cry this out. It just feels better, doesn't it?" Kurt said.

And then they burst into laughter. They cried, they laughed. The two of them had, without a doubt, the most conflicting emotions of any people I'd ever met. I knew they found it endearing, but I just found it way too confusing.

"Will you sing something?"

"Sing something? Okay, well, what would you like me to sing?"

"Blackbird."

"Really? Don't you think I'm better off saving the Beatles for more depressing occasions?"

"This is sort of really depressing. And, hey, that song helped me fall in love with you."

"That is true. Fine, I'll sing it. But only if you'll -"

I never did hear the end of that conversation.

"Hey, what's going on?"

I jumped like I'd just seen a ghost.

"Finn, what the hell are you doing?"

"What am _I_ doing? What are _you_ doing? Wait... are you _listening to them_?"

He put his ear to the door.

"What're they talking about?"

I pulled him away.

"No way."

"How often do you do this? God, this door is so thin. Wait, do you... do you listen to me and Rachel?"

"Finn, go to your room."

"Oh my God, you _do_. That is_ such_ an invasion of privacy!"

"_Finn_ -"

"It is!"

"My house, my rules. Go to bed."

He raised his hands in the air in surrender and trudged down the hall.

"And, hey, Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. You did a good thing, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"And if Schue can't work it out, I will, alright?"

"Thanks. But it'd still have been worth it."

"Goodnight, buddy."

I let Kurt and Blaine be. That was actually the first of a very few select nights that I let the two of them stay together. I knew it was the right thing to do, and I knew nothing was going to happen that I wouldn't approve of. I just couldn't bear the thought of leaving Blaine alone in his room when he was so obviously upset or leaving Kurt alone, only to make himself sick with worry. No, they needed to be together that night. They woke up in the same clothes they fell asleep in, with Kurt's head on Blaine's chest and an arm swung around him. I was satisfied.

When I got into bed with Carole that night, I noticed just how worried she was as well.

"Hey, sweetie, you alright?"

She sighed and snuggled next to me.

"I don't know. This whole thing with the boys... and Finn. I think it's kind of starting to get to me. Finn doesn't even think of himself as a person without football. Last year, he even tried out for the Cheerios to stay popular. I'm just scared he's going to fall back into that hole."

"Well, I don't really think Finn is the same guy he was back then, is he?"

"No, no, I guess he isn't. I just wish he could realize that football isn't everything, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. This'll all work itself out for the best, whether it's Finn back on the team or not."

She nodded.

"And _Blaine_, goodness. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be that bad."

"Me neither. I mean, _mob_ slushies? Who even comes up with these things?"

"Beats me," she sighed, "Do you think they'll be alright? All of them?"

I considered it very carefully. Yeah, it'd been a tough day, and, yeah, there'd be plenty more tough days to follow. But at least they had each other. They had the fact that Carole could group them as an "all of them," and they did have the glee club. It had to be enough.

"Yeah, you know, I really do. They'll get through it together."

She smiled, gave me a quick kiss, and we fell asleep soundly.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and send me your thoughts if you get the chance!<p> 


	12. The Illness

First, I would like to apologize to everyone who tried to review the last chapter but were hindered by whatever is messing up this week! Hopefully it's all worked out and reviewing for this chapter won't bring any hardships!

Second, I am AMAZED this morning. Exactly one month, twelve chapters, and almost 200 reviews later, we are still here. I am always so incredibly flattered to read your amazingly kind words, and I cannot thank you guys enough for sticking by this story. To every single one of you who have reviewed, set this story as one of your favorites, or are receiving alerts for this story - you are incredible, and I seriously cannot believe I've even been able to keep your attention for an entire month of updates! I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter as much as all that has preceded it and will stay on this adventure with me for as long as there are stories to be told!

Third, I hope that you and yours enjoyed Father's Day yesterday and there were no salt-in-the-cupcakes mishaps! Or, if there were that there was at least a very dapper young man to solve it!

Fourth, enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for the public school germs to take over our house.<p>

All three of them got sick in the span of about two weeks. Finn got it first, probably from his renewed exercise regime in an attempt to win his way back onto the football team. He was working himself so hard, easily making his immune system more vulnerable to the millions of germs that were suddenly around him all the time.

For Finn, though, it was just a lot of sniffling. So much sniffling that Kurt began to wear headphones whenever Finn was around.

I remember one night at dinner very clearly.

"Kurt, take them out."

"Sorry, Dad, did you say something? The foghorn on Finn's face is making it a little difficult to hear."

Blaine snorted a laugh.

"It'th not my fault." _Sniff._

Kurt gagged.

"Finn, seriously. _Kleenex._ This is not a new invention!"

"Kurt, you're being ridiculous. Take the headphones out. It's just a cold."

Kurt obeyed, though reluctantly, and through the rest of the meal, his body would shiver every time Finn would sniffle... which seemed to be at least two or three times every minute. Although Kurt was the only one who would openly admit it, it drove all of us a little bit crazy for a few days.

Until Finn gave it to Kurt, at least.

Kurt had scrubbed every surface in the house repeatedly while Finn was sick and had a bottle of hand sanitizer with him at all times. I think it was his determination _not_ to get sick that got him sick in the first place.

One day Kurt was lying on the couch like a defeated warrior, so angry with Finn who had just recovered.

"_How_ did you do thith to me? Thith ith it. Thith ith the end of my life. I'm going to die here."

"Headache?"

"Uh huh." _Sniff._

"And, of course, the sniffles."

"They don't theem tho bad when you're the one thniffling."

"Couldn't agree with you more."

"I did everything right! Lythol, you've failed me. That'th it. From now on, I pledge my allegianth to Clorox. Do you hear me, Finn Hudthon? I am a changed man!"

"Dude, I think you're losing it."

"I blame you for thith."

"You can blame me all you want, but it's not going to make you any better."

Kurt accepted it and even let Finn watch an entire football game while he was on the couch. But whether that was because Kurt was actually forgiving or because he was just too congested to get up, I'm not really sure.

Neither of them were bad enough off to miss school or anything. There were just a lot of tissues, a lot of fluids, and a lot of _sniffling_.

Well, until Blaine got sick.

Finn and Kurt got colds. And while I'm sure it was Kurt who gave what started off as a cold to Blaine, all of the suppressed stress in his life pushed his into a full-blown sinus infection.

When Blaine started with the sniffling, we were all fairly optimistic. Kurt and Finn could laugh at the delirious things he would say, and he could blame both of them for his suffering.

Until one morning before school when Kurt and Finn were ready to leave but he wasn't even up yet. I went to his room to wake him up myself, but when I knocked on the door, there was no answer

"Buddy, come on, you've got ten minutes before you've gotta go."

Nothing.

"Blaine, you alright?"

I opened the door and looked around the room, surprised to not immediately see him. I walked to the side of his bed only to find him barely sitting up against the wall. I crouched down to his level.

"Hey, what are you doing on the floor?"

"I stood up out of my bed... and, and I fell over and couldn't get up. I can't. Nope, can't get up. Mmmm, how did I get here? I've gotta... gotta go. Gotta go to school, right?"

He could barely keep his eyes open, and his head was drooping forward like it was a ball of lead attached to his neck. I pushed his hair back and placed my hand on his forehead. He was boiling.

"No, I don't think so."

"Hm? No, gotta go. It's time to... just, just help me get up, and we'll -"

"No, come on, get back in bed. You're too sick to go to school."

"I'm not sick."

"Yes, you are. You're very sick."

"I don't believe that."

I slung his arm around me and got him to his feet only for his knees to immediately collapse. I still had a good hold of him, though, and got him right back into bed.

"Stay there, alright? I'll be right back."

I went to the bathroom to find a thermometer and was met by Kurt who was still trying to perfect his hair.

"Did you get him out of bed?"

"Not quite. He's not really fit to get up right now."

Kurt turned away from the mirror to look at me.

"What do you mean? What's going on?"

"He's just really sick. Hey, have you seen the thermometer?"

"Bottom drawer on the right. _How_ sick?"

"Too sick for you to go in there and see for yourself. He's not going to school."

"What? He was fine last night! Poor thing, I need to -"

"Kurt, you don't need to do anything."

"Of course I do! _He_ took care of _me_ when I was sick, so now I'm going to take care of him."

"No, now you're going to go to school. You can take care of him when you get home."

"Fine," he huffed, "but will you please actually plug in his humidifier? He keeps forgetting. _And_ I expect hour-by-hour text updates on his condition!"

"You have my word."

I went back into Blaine's room, happy to find him exactly where I left him.

"Alright, here you go."

He looked at the thermometer like he'd never seen one before.

"I don't need this."

"Yes, you do."

"I _told_ you, I'm not sick, Dad."

He'd never called me that before.

I knew that he was delirious, I knew that it was the fever talking, and I knew that it wouldn't happen again. But I still couldn't help but smile. I liked to think the slip was something that the fever pushed into the open from his subconscious.

Regardless, something in him thought of _me_ as his dad. And that was more than enough for me.

"Yes, Blaine, you are."

"I'm not -"

"How about you let the thermometer be the judge of that?"

He finally put it in his mouth. I'd never seen him that un-put together. It was a little bizarre to see his hair that curly and out of control, his entire body unable to even sit up, when he was usually so crisp and clean. He wouldn't say it out loud, but his crumpled form lying in that bed was just so _needy_. It was actually a nice change.

"Wow, 103.1. Jesus."

"Means it's time to go, hm?"

I could hear Kurt's car pulling out of the driveway.

"Means it's time to stay in bed. I'll go get you some aspirin, alright?"

"Medicine?"

"Yeah, it'll make you feel better."

"Feel good?"

"Right, feel good. I'll be right back."

I went for the aspirin, but when I got back to his room, he was sound asleep. I left the pills on his bedside table with a glass of water for him to take once he woke up.

I went downstairs to find Carole pacing in the kitchen, repeating words from the notecards she held in front of her over and over again.

"You don't need to keep at that. You've got it down perfectly."

"This is a huge speech for me, Burt. I really want that promotion."

"I know that, but it's already yours!"

"Do not say that, you'll jinx me," she said playfully. "How's Blaine? Kurt said he wasn't feeling well."

"Yeah, he's running a pretty high fever, and I don't feel comfortable leaving him here alone when he can barely move. So, I'll probably go into the shop around lunch time. He'll be feeling better by then, and Kurt can take over once he gets home."

"Hey, sounds like a good plan to me. I've gotta run. Wish me luck?"

"Good luck. You're going to be amazing."

She left with a kiss, and I settled myself on the couch with the morning paper.

It wasn't until a few hours later that I heard the screaming. It was so blood-curdling, I could almost hear his throat tearing apart.

I jumped out of my seat and ran upstairs, almost tearing his door down. He was soaked in sweat and clutching his comforter for dear life, still screaming.

I didn't know what to do. Shake him awake? Pour a bucket of water on his head? I'd never dealt with a screaming but still unconscious kid before. It took calling out his name and holding him down as gently as possible to get him to wake up without scaring him even more.

"Blaine, hey, hey, shhh, Blaine, it's okay, you're just having a nightmare."

He jolted up and as far away from me on the bed as possible. He was still breathing heavily, and I took a step back to show him I wasn't going to hurt him.

He took a deep breath.

"W-what's going on?"

"I could ask you the same question. You were asleep and screaming your head off."

He didn't know what I was saying, didn't believe that he'd actually sounded like someone was torturing him only a few moments earlier.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and his shoulders fell in relaxation.

"I'm... really? I'm so sorry. I didn't... I don't know what -"

I figured he was calm enough for me to approach him, so I placed my hand on his forehead.

"What time is it?"

"Almost noon. You're still warm."

"I missed school?"

"You don't remember anything from this morning?"

"No, I don't. Oh, wow. Did I do anything too nuts?"

He smiled, but I wasn't buying it. His screaming fit had really shaken me, and he wasn't just magically better, even if he was awake.

I handed him the medicine I'd left for him earlier and sat down across from him on the bed. I didn't want to scare him, but I couldn't just leave without some sort of explanation.

"Hey, talk to me for a second. What's going on? No one screams like that without a reason."

He looked so guilty, like he'd done something horribly wrong.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to -"

"I don't want an apology, I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine."

He swallowed the pills, and I knew there was something he wasn't telling me.

I decided to go for it.

"Anything else you might want to talk about?"

He frowned, and I expected him to deflect. He'd kept to himself a lot at the beginning of that school year. He'd stopped hanging out with Finn and the guys completely, and he would barely even speak to anyone other than Kurt.

Yeah, I was worried about him, but Kurt had assured me that it was just a phase that would pass once he'd really adjusted to McKinley. I wasn't completely sure, but I went along with it anyway. After it continued for a few weeks, though, I started getting nervous about Blaine's behavior.

Which is why I was surprised when he reached into the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out an envelope.

"You're really good at that, you know?"

He handed it to me.

"It came in the mail yesterday. I should've just told you. I know I'm supposed to tell you about these things, but... I didn't know what to think of it, really. I just kind of needed to work it out for myself first."

It was a check for five thousand dollars. From his father. I couldn't keep my jaw from dropping.

"Wow. This... this is a lot of money, Blaine. Was there a letter or anything? An explanation?"

"It's my life savings. It came with an official letter from his lawyer. I guess he had to give it back to me since I legally earned it."

I was stunned into silence.

That explained the nightmare at least. Of course, a high fever and another reminder of his father. It was a lethal combination, really. He must have been so terrified... I didn't let the thought linger. I just had to make it better.

"We'll set you up with a new account, alright? And you've already -"

"No, no, I don't want it. I... I want you to have it."

It was non-negotiable.

"Blaine, I'm not... no, it's yours to do whatever you want with it."

"But it's not. Not really. Please, take it. I'm serious. I've probably cost you well over that much just by still being here. So, maybe we could call it even?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did he really still think that all of this was just some sort of loan? Did he really not understand that this was a permanent situation? And did he really not get that I loved him like he was my own son? We were a family, and there was nothing to call even.

"Kid, what are you talking about? You don't owe me anything. You do know that, right?"

He struggled for the right words but looked right into my eyes.

"Just... please, take it."

His eyes were glossy, and the nails on his outstretched hand had been bitten down as far as possible.

I took it from him. There was nothing else to do.

"Look, this goes toward you, alright? There's nothing for you to repay me for, you got that?"

He was biting the inside of his cheek. He still looked like a complete wreck with his hair all over the place and his face as pale as a ghost. I wanted to do something drastic, but I couldn't think of the right motions.

He nodded.

"Thanks, Burt."

I clapped my legs and stood up.

"You feeling any better?"

"Yes, sir, a lot, actually."

"_Blaine._"

"Sorry," he said with a smile.

"You think you'll be alright here by yourself for a bit?"

"Oh, yeah, I'll be fine."

"Kurt and Finn'll be home in two or three hours, so you won't be alone for too long. Take your temperature again, and there's plenty to eat in the fridge if you feel up to it, alright?"

"Thanks."

I walked to the door.

"And call if you need anything?"

"Will do."

"Also, text Kurt. He's probably going crazy."

He laughed.

"Of course."

"See you later."

I didn't get home until much later that night, trying to work overtime for missing the entire morning. I was half expecting everyone to either be gone or asleep when I got home. Of course, nothing I expected ever really happened in that house. But I was still fairly surprised to find the entire glee club in my living room when I opened the door.

They were all sitting around the coffee table, engrossed in what appeared to be a rousing game of Candyland.

"Hey, Mr. H!" Puck called from the floor.

Kurt turned around from his spot almost in Blaine's lap and walked over to me to explain what was going on exactly.

"Before you say anything, we tried to call you, _and_ Carole said it was okay."

"For all fourteen -"

"She's upstairs. You can ask her yourself if you'd like."

"And Blaine's -"

"It was Blaine's idea! I know, I was just as shocked as you are, but it's great, right? Look at how happy he is."

He did look happy. Happier than he'd looked since he'd started at McKinley. Of course, he _had_ just hit the shortcut through the Gumdrop Mountains, so the look of pure childish joy was really unavoidable.

"Okay, alright. I get it. But since when do you kids play Candyland?"

"Well, we were all going to go out, but Carole wouldn't clear Blaine to leave the house. So, we just invited everyone over, and Brittany showed up with Candyland, and we've been eating Dots all night. I really have no idea, Dad, but he's loving it, and we're all just... loving it!"

Blaine let in a huge sniffle, and Kurt didn't even flinch.

I was so proud of him.

"You guys have fun, alright? I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

"Alright. Thanks, Dad."

Kurt ran back to his spot, and I walked up the stairs as Artie was cursing a lost turn.

Whatever those Dots were laced with, I was glad for it. Blaine was smiling, talking with all of those glee kids, even Finn and Puck, like they'd always been his best friends, like they were his family. He had a great group of people to be there for him, to look after him, to pretend to hate him for getting to pass over the Gumdrop Mountains.

I smiled.

That was when I finally found the one thing I'd been searching for for so many months.

He was going to be just fine.

* * *

><p>Thank you so much for reading!<p> 


	13. The Brothers

Thank you SO much for all of the wonderful reviews! I cannot believe we've broken the 200 barrier! I am screaming in delight! You guys are AMAZING!

I really hope you all like this new chapter. This is the first chapter that I ever started without a clear ending. It's also the first chapter that I wrote out an entire climax only to completely change it in the final draft. But, I am VERY happy with the way it turned out, especially considering I've been at the beach for the last three days!

I hope you're happy with it too and will send me your comments one way or the other! :)

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Finn got himself back on the football team.<p>

It took some time and a lot of convincing, but after they lost their first two preliminary games without their quarterback, well, I think Beiste just kind of caved. Puck and the asshole who messed with Blaine got back on the team too, but all three of them were told about a hundred times that if it happened again, they'd be cut for good.

So, Finn could be there for Kurt and Blaine... he just couldn't use his fists.

It had to be good enough for me.

However, Finn being Finn made things a bit more difficult. He was back on the team, and he was truly ecstatic about it, I'll give him that. The real issue came with his attitude.

I'd never seen a kid so cocky.

All he could talk about was football, all day, everyday, and he started leaving his sweaty gear all over the house, which infuriated Carole to no end. More importantly, though, he just about alienated every person who wasn't either on the football team or Rachel.

Kurt hated the smells and the mess, but Blaine hated the...

"Hey, what's going on, guys? Madden 2010?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry, dude... only three controllers."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, right. Well... I guess I'll just see you guys later, then."

That happened too much... and he never really did see them later. It was like they suddenly had nothing in common anymore, because _Blaine_ wasn't on the football team.

He never said anything about it, but I knew how much it hurt his feelings, and that was a whole lot more than he was letting on.

But I think the worst thing about it was that it wasn't all the guys. Puck, Sam, Mike, and Artie were just as friendly and sociable with Kurt and Blaine as they always had been. But _Finn_ was practically on a mission to leave everybody else in the dust.

I like to think that attitude was a huge factor in what turned out to be one of the more ridiculous arguments those guys got themselves into.

I guess it all really started with the glee club.

Kurt's always been competitive. Of course he has, and he always will be. I don't think he'd be Kurt if he wasn't always pushing himself for something that rivaled what someone else wanted.

So, having Blaine with him at McKinley opened a few more doors to all of the things he could accomplish, particularly in the glee club.

I guess the trouble really started with Mr. Schuester's reaction to Blaine's "audition."

"Wow! You know, we've heard you with the Warblers, of course, but that was really something else. Let's welcome our newest member, Blaine Anderson, and congratulations! You might want to hold onto your hat, Finn, you've got some competition right here."

A light immediately went off in Kurt's head.

_Competition._

It was like gold to him. Of course it was the perfect opportunity to bring down Finn and Rachel from whatever glee club pedestal they'd found themselves on. Of course it was finally Kurt's chance to _beat_ Rachel at her own game. And of course it was Blaine who was the perfect candidate to help him do it.

Kurt convinced Mr. Schuester to have what he deemed a _male_ diva off between Finn and Blaine, but Blaine wasn't really sure about the idea at first.

The two of them were sitting on the couch when Kurt brought up the plan.

"Kurt, I really don't want to do anything that's going to piss people off. Finn and Rachel are... well, they're great together. I don't want to kill our chances at sectionals!"

"Sectionals? Blaine, of course we're going to win sectionals. That's not even a question. I'm thinking nationals here. Let's think back... whose fault was it that McKinley lost nationals this year?"

"Kurt -"

"Oh, right! It was Finn and Rachel."

"I thought you didn't care about that."

Kurt sighed.

"All I'm saying is that we shouldn't make the same mistakes again! Glee club has been all Finn and Rachel for the last two years. What we need is a new strategy, a new power couple."

"You mean you and me?"

"Exactly."

"I don't know how receptive Ohio glee club judges are going to be about two _guys_ serenading each other on stage, Kurt. I mean, Finn and Rachel beat us at regionals."

"They had original songs, Blaine! With you and I singing original songs, we'd blow them out of the water!"

Blaine nodded but stayed silent.

"Come on, think about how awful Finn has been recently."

"Wait, is _that_ what this is about?"

"No! Of course not! I mean... would it help if that was what it was about?"

"_Kurt._"

Kurt put his hands up in protest.

"I'm sorry, but you've got to admit, he's bothering you."

"Of course he is, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ruin glee club because he's being a jerk."

Kurt took a deep breath and grabbed Blaine's hand.

"Look, how about you just sing against Finn, and let the glee club vote. That way, whatever happens is really for the best. And whatever the glee club says, that's how it will be, and I promise I will never bring it up again."

He considered it very carefully.

"I don't know, Kurt."

"Please? Do it for _me_?"

He sighed.

"Okay, alright, I'll do it. For _you_."

"Ah, yes! Thank you!"

Kurt kissed him on the cheek and ran upstairs to begin planning.

Finn was just sort of _uncomfortable_ about the idea when Mr. Schuester announced it. He didn't want to be pushed off his high horse in the glee club, but he was still on top of the world at that school. He didn't see Blaine as any kind of threat to that power. He _knew_ that he was better than Blaine, and he didn't see anything to worry about.

Until Rachel got involved.

Rachel knew the second she heard the idea that it was much more about _her_ than it was about Finn. And she was determined to protect her star power and her own ambitions above anything else. To her, Blaine was an imminent threat, for sure.

So, Rachel started spending a lot more time around our house. Whenever she was there, she'd make sure Finn was as far away from Kurt and Blaine as possible so that he could practice without...

"Spy!"

"Rachel, chill. I'm just getting something to drink. I _do_ live here, you know."

She scoffed.

"We will be outside, Blaine. You can _have_ your drink."

And she'd pull Finn by the arm to the backyard for more vocal warm-ups.

I figured that once they sung, it'd be over. There was no use in me getting involved, because it'd be solved before it ever really started.

But... according to Kurt, Blaine blew it out of the water. And according to Rachel, Finn won without any shadow of a doubt.

The problem was that, according to the glee club, it was a tie.

So, they had to sing again, and Schuester would pick the winner, the one who would get the solo at sectionals.

It was the lead up to that second sing-off that got Finn and Blaine into playing the game even more than their counterparts. Once it got physical, Kurt and Rachel sort of stepped out of the picture to let it get _personal_. Finn and Blaine realized that winning was bigger than being the best individually... they realized they had to sabotage each other instead.

Finn started it.

It was very simple, at first. He stole all of Blaine's socks.

There were a lot of locked doors with pounding fists and loud laughter from within.

"Finn, come_ on_! Open the door! I know this was you! Your sock ransom note had Dorito cheese all over it!"

But then Blaine filled all of Finn's pillowcases with Jello. And _then_ Finn covered Blaine's entire car with petroleum jelly. Only for Blaine to rewire all of Finn's electronics to do the opposite of whatever Finn actually wanted them to do.

"N-n-n-no. It deleted... it deleted the game. No, wait, save. It was supposed to... oh my God."

He ran from his room and began to try to break down Blaine's bedroom door.

"Blaine, I swear to God, I will -"

That last one was sort of the final straw for me.

"Guys, hey, knock it off," I said as I pulled Finn away from Blaine's door.

"Burt, he messed with my Xbox!"

I gently knocked on the door.

"Blaine, open up."

He opened it, and I had to physically restrain Finn from mauling him.

"Alright, you two, that's _it_. The pranks are done. Finn, return his socks, and Blaine, for the love of God, fix his Xbox and whatever else you might have messed with. Keep the school problems at school, and we'll just... deal with home problems here, alright?"

"Yeah, sorry."

"Yes, sir, won't happen again."

And they each, without looking at each other, walked away to do as they'd been told.

All of the pranking, all of the passive aggressiveness... I guess it all sort of built up to the day they had the actual competition.

Mr. Schuester was the one who told me the entire story when he called me in for a conference.

Apparently, Blaine "accidentally" bumped into Finn in the middle of the song.

Well, somehow that one bump turned into a brawl. Kurt and Rachel did their best to break it up, realizing they'd taken their game a step too far, but instead they just got sucked into the fight themselves. And then the entire glee club got in on it. They were all screaming and tearing each other apart to the point of pure chaos.

So, I got the call at the end of the school day and drove down there, only to find three scowling boys sitting on a bench outside of Mr. Schuester's office.

"Guys."

They grunted back at me. I sighed.

"Anything you might like to say before I go in there?"

Kurt looked to Blaine, and Finn kept his eyes on his knees.

"Well, _he _-" Kurt started.

"Mr. Hummel?"

Will Schuester peeked his head out of the door. I looked back at the boys.

"Work it out, alright?"

I went into the office and sat down. I'd been briefed over the phone, but I had no idea why I needed to actually take off work and come down to the school to talk to the man.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Hummel."

"Please, call me Burt."

He smiled.

"Burt."

"So," I sighed, "what's going on exactly? They started a fight?"

"Well, I wouldn't really call it a fight. It was... I guess I don't even really know how to describe it. I just wanted to talk to you face-to-face about the three of them. Um, first off, how are you?"

_How was I?_ Had I actually been called down there to talk about my feelings? Sure, I'd been asking that question to all three of those boys a lot over the past few months. Did it feel good to have someone ask me about how I was doing? Yeah, you know, yeah, it did, actually. But that couldn't be why I was there.

"Excuse me?"

"I just mean... you're the legal guardian of half of the guys in my glee club. I know that can't be easy for you, and especially with Blaine's whole... situation."

He paused.

"I also know that the kind of thing that happened today, well, that's bigger than _school_. And I deal with it here, but you deal with it at home, all the time."

I nodded.

I wasn't sure what he was trying to get at, but I was curious to see where the conversation was headed.

"Look, they're angry. They're teenagers."

He smiled.

"And with three wildly different personalities under one roof, that's got to be... well, it's got to be completely insane, quite frankly. But what happened today... that just _can't_ happen again. Not with me and certainly not with you either."

He took a deep breath.

"I know those three guys care about each other and would do absolutely anything to protect each other."

"But...?"

"I don't think they respect each other enough to work together to actually achieve something. I'm afraid that they're all a little bit too focused on how brightly their own stars could shine alone instead of how brightly they could all shine together."

I was so confused. Had it really gotten _that_ bad? I knew they were all striving for something huge with the glee club, sure, but I had no idea it was actually affecting their relationships.

"With all due respect, Mr. Schuester -"

"Please, Will."

"With all due respect, Will, I don't think they've really gotten out of control. Yeah, they want to be the lead singer in the glee club, and they're arguing about it, but -"

"Burt, I apologize for cutting you off, but did Blaine tell you what happened yesterday?"

All of the blood rushed to my head.

"No, no he didn't."

"He yelled at me. Like, really, _really_ yelled at me. Just completely snapped in front of everyone and stormed out. I'd just announced that I'd made a mistake with the votes, because Brittany actually wrote Finn's name on one side of a piece of paper and Blaine's on the other. So, with her vote out of the mix, he lost, fair and square. We only even had the sing-off today because he was so upset."

I couldn't believe it. How could I miss something that huge?

"But he wasn't even really in on this whole thing in the first place! I thought it was all Kurt's idea so he could beat out Rachel or whatever."

"Beat out Rachel? Burt, I think that's the point I'm trying to make. That's not what we do here. That's not what this glee club is about. And as for Blaine, I think he was in on this a lot more than you think. All three of them have some sort of... leading man complex. They want to be the best. They want to win. I'm just trying to teach them that there are more important things than that."

I was silent. I didn't know what to say. I had so many questions. How much of this was my fault? Why didn't I stop them sooner? I knew exactly what was going on, and all I did was tell them to keep it at school instead of bring their problems home.

That was the moment I realized that keeping their school problems at school was never even mildly realistic. School problems had to come home with them, and the fact that the three of them had both the same school and the same home came with having _them_.

I guess I was just lucky that I learned that as early on as I did.

"Look, I care about these kids, Burt, and I just want to make sure that they're okay. And I just want to know that you and I are on the same page here."

I nodded.

"Yeah, we are. I don't know how I feel about you telling me how to raise my kids, but we're on the same page. I'll talk to them."

He smiled.

"Thank you, Burt. You know, you're doing a great job. I don't know how you handle it all."

"I guess I should be asking myself the same thing."

I shook his hand and walked out of the office to find the three of them exactly where I'd left them. I wondered if they'd even said a single word to each other while I was gone.

"Kurt, your car's outside?"

He nodded.

"Alright, you and Finn ride together. Blaine, you're coming with me."

We didn't say a single word to each other the entire ride home. I couldn't think of any, and his body language was so hostile that I don't think they would have done any good, even if I could have.

He only spoke once we pulled into the driveway.

"I think I'm turning into a maniac," he said very softly.

"You are _not_ a maniac, Blaine."

"You don't know that for sure. I've heard these things are hereditary."

I got very still and looked him right in the eyes, which were almost spilling over with tears.

"You are not your father, Blaine. Do you understand me?"

He nodded.

"Come on, let's go inside."

Once everyone was home, I sat all three of them down on the couch.

We were working it out, once and for all. No more personal attacks. No more holier than thou attitudes. No more manipulations.

"I want to apologize to you guys."

They all looked up at me, completely stunned.

"I'm sorry, what now?" Kurt said.

"I want to apologize for a couple of things. I knew what you guys were doing, and I knew it was wrong. But I still let you do it. Really, I just told you that it was fine to do it as long as I wasn't around to see it. And _that _was really wrong."

"It's not your-"

"Let me finish, Finn."

He nodded.

"You guys are too good for this crap, alright? You're too talented to be petty and selfish. And you care too much about one other to not respect each other enough to understand when it's time to let something go."

I looked to Blaine.

"What I'm trying to say is, I know that you guys are all very... ambitious. All of you want the very best out of life, and of course, that's all I want for you as well. You just can't risk _each other_ for some kind of greater self power."

"We're really sorry, Burt. We never meant to drag you into this," Blaine said.

"Well, I guess that's really what I'm trying to say. I _have_ to be dragged into this. I'm the dad, and your problems are my problems. Look, I'm not stupid. Of course you're going to fight. Of course arguments like this are going to happen again, but the point is..."

I took a deep breath.

"School or home, we have to talk about these things and eliminate them while they're still festering. I just don't want you guys to destroy each other over a glee club, alright?"

They nodded and smiled, finally realizing just how dumb the whole thing had really been.

"All three of you have played a part in this, and all three of you have messed up with each other. I think it's time for some major attitude adjustments. Less me, a little more we, right?"

"Oh, Dad... wow. Really?"

"What, that wasn't good?"

"A little bit too cheesy."

"I'm great at cheesy!"

"We know," they all groaned at the exact same time.

That was when they finally realized that they had something in common that was so much bigger than football and spotlights. They lived with the same parents who no one else could really understand like they could. They were united by the roof over their heads, and nothing was worth giving up that bond.

"Alright, I see how it is! Fine, then, go upstairs. You're all grounded."

"_What?_"

"Oh, look who's cheesy now!"

They all pouted and walked up the stairs, but I only heard one door close.

Knowing that they were all in one room together, I smiled in victory. I knew that grounding all three of them at the same time could only bring them closer together. Let them be mad at me for a few days, let them be sitting upstairs plotting some way to get out of it or back at me.

They were working together, and even though the common enemy was _me_, I didn't mind it one bit.

And neither did the truck I made them clean that night, until they all came inside, soaking wet, laughing their asses off.

"Did you get _any_ water onto the car?"

"We did, I promise. Towels?" Kurt said.

"In the laundry room."

They all dried off in the kitchen, still laughing, not even caring about their sopping wet clothes or askew hair.

I smiled. It was already working.

I only learned the next morning that although they _had_ actually washed the entire truck... they had later covered it entirely with petroleum jelly.

Yep, they were brothers alright.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


	14. The Party

Hey, everyone! I am still SO amazed by all of your awesome reviews and support. They mean so much to me, and I cannot even think of the proper words to convey how INCREDIBLE all of you are! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This chapter is... well, it's sort of the beginning. It's a prologue in a way to the next two chapters. This is my first shot at a serial storyline, and I'm VERY excited about it. This is something that a lot of you have brought up and that I have been turning over in my mind in some way or form ever since "Never Been Kissed" aired. So, here begins my finally fleshed out version of this idea. Get ready for a something of a cliffhanger at the end of this one. It's going to be a bumpy ride!

Lastly, there is one thing that I am always fascinated with in your reviews: your favorite lines! I so love hearing which pieces of dialogue you love the most. So, if you get a chance, pick your favorite line from this entire story and review with it! I'm trying to pick mine, and I really need your help! :)

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>I never really liked Halloween.<p>

I know, I know. _What's not to like?_ That's what my boys always asked me. They loved just about everything that had to do with the holiday. Even Finn, much to my surprise.

I guess I've just never understood the costumes or having to hand out candy all night so you don't look like the _one_ neighbor who doesn't care about _the children_.

So, Carole and I stayed in and catered to the incessant doorbell ringing while the guys went to a party.

Finn was sitting in the living room with me, waiting for Kurt and Blaine to get ready. He didn't dress up. He loved the candy, but he didn't have the creativity or the patience to work on a costume. So, he left that half of it up to Rachel.

Kurt, on the other hand, worked on his and Blaine's costumes for _weeks_. He wouldn't tell anyone else in the house what they were, not even Blaine.

I knew Blaine was getting nervous. He certainly didn't want to upset Kurt, but he also didn't want to wear something that would bring the wrong kind of attention to them.

A few days before Halloween, they were in the kitchen. Kurt was working on dinner, and Blaine was following him around like a lost puppy, grilling him for information.

"Just one hint, please?"

"Nope, not even one."

Kurt moved from the counter to the refrigerator, and Blaine followed.

"Well, how's the color scheme?"

"I'm not telling you anything about the color scheme, that would completely give it away! One step to your left, please."

"Sorry."

He moved.

"Thank you."

Kurt moved back to the countertop but Blaine followed, standing right behind him.

"That doesn't narrow it down at all, you know."

"Precisely."

"And what about sequins? Feathers?"

"Blaine, _no_!"

He picked up a bowl, but when he tried to turn around with it, he bumped into Blaine's chest. Blaine took the bowl from him.

"I'm not telling you anything, especially now that you're _actually _distracting me. Why are you so worked up about this?"

Blaine considered it very carefully. He didn't want to say the wrong thing and hurt Kurt's feelings. He'd worked so hard on those costumes, and Blaine couldn't make it seem like he was ungrateful. But he also had to be honest with him.

"I don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

Kurt sighed, and Blaine scooped up a finger of the bowl's chocolatey contents and presented it to Kurt.

"No, thank you. I don't know where those hands have been."

"I think you know _exactly _where these hands have been."

Kurt gasped.

"_Blaine_, my dad is _right_ -"

"He can't hear us!"

Of course I could hear them.

Blaine smeared the chocolate onto his lips.

"How about now?"

Kurt smiled.

"Blaine, do you trust me?"

Blaine's face fell in confusion.

"Of course I trust you. What kind of a question is that?"

Kurt sighed.

"Then believe me when I say that you're going to love them."

Kurt looked to where I was sitting in the living room, and I quickly looked back down at my newspaper. He kissed away the rest of the chocolate from Blaine's lips.

"You have my word."

Blaine _did_ end up loving the costumes.

He ran down the stairs with Kurt on his back, clutching his shoulders for dear life.

"Na na na na na na na na Batman!" he sang as he spun Kurt around in circles in the living room.

"If I throw up in your hair, you're going to be sorry!" Kurt only half-joked.

Blaine put him down and laughed.

"Well, how do we look?"

They were classic Batman and Robin from head to toe and beaming from ear to ear.

"The homoerotic undertones of Batman and Robin are undoubtedly present, but their heroism and manliness give them the perfect balance. Just like me and Blaine."

Kurt looked to Blaine for affirmation.

"What he said."

They kissed.

Finn rolled his eyes.

"Can we please get a move on?"

"Yes, yes, _fine_, Finn, but are you driving? Because I don't know if I can -"

Kurt reached for the door handle, but I stood in front of it.

"Just a few things before you go, guys."

Their faces fell. They were clearly hoping to call me later with a plan to convince me that they were perfectly safe, and they were having such a great time, and there was really no need for a curfew at all, right?

"Yeah, yeah, come on, sit down."

They all slugged to the couch. I stood in front of them with my arms crossed, trying to stare down Finn long enough to convince him to put his cell phone away.

"_First_, I know it's a holiday, and I know you guys will just be at Puck's, so I'm going to go out on a limb here. How does 2:30 sound?"

Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but Finn elbowed him in the ribs.

"We'll take it."

I smiled.

"Good. Next... I'm no idiot. I know Puck, and I know high school. There'll be alcohol as far as the eye can see, am I right? Guys, I'm not going to threaten you with anything, but just... make good decisions, okay? If you drink, don't drive, and Finn, these two are in your hands if you're behind the wheel, you got that?"

"Oh, no drinking for me. Rachel's sworn it off for life, so... I guess I have too."

"Probably a good idea," Blaine said with a shiver.

"You are so whipped," Kurt added while also trying to suppress a laugh at the memory of Blaine and Rachel's drunken romance.

I couldn't help but agree with Kurt.

"Lastly, there's just the sort of _umbrella_ advice, you know. The general 'be _safe_'... and in all aspects of your lives, please."

Kurt's eyes widened further than I'd ever seen before, and a goofy smile spread across Blaine's face. Finn just looked confused.

That had clearly come out so much more awkwardly than I had intended.

"And _that_ is our cue to go, I do believe!" Kurt exclaimed.

They all got up, and as Kurt and Blaine walked out the door, I pulled Finn aside.

"Look after them, alright?"

"Yeah, of course," he said impatiently.

He tried to walk away, but I grabbed onto his jacket.

"I'm serious, Finn. The two of them and those costumes -"

"Burt, I know. I just told you I'd look after them, and I will, okay? I always do."

I shouldn't have left it with that. I should have told him to check his attitude. I should have known right then that something else was going on.

But, I didn't. I just smiled and let him go.

"Good man. Go on, have fun. And call me when you're on your way home."

Carole and I watched a movie on the couch that night, so happy to have a very rare moment with all three boys out of the house. I think it had Hugh Jackman in it. I don't really remember, but she loved it, and I was happy.

She fell asleep around midnight, so I was alone in the living room when the door flew open at half past.

"Kurt, what is wrong with you? Come on, this is insane!"

Kurt was trying his hardest to escape Blaine, but he wasn't giving up. Kurt ran halfway up the stairs, but Blaine grabbed his hand to hold him back.

"Hey, will you just -"

"I don't have to 'just' anything, Blaine. I need you to leave me alone now, _please_."

Blaine's face hardened, and he held up both of his hands in surrender. Kurt turned his back to him and ran up the rest of the stairs.

I didn't really know what to say. I was still partially stunned that they were even home so early.

Blaine slowly made his way back to the living room and slumped onto the couch next to me, burying his face in his hands.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Oh, yeah? The two of you coming home two hours before you have to and shouting at each other is _nothing_?"

He sighed.

"I meant that I have no idea what's even happening."

"Okay, well, how about you tell me everything that happened between when you left and things were great to when you got back here and things are clearly _not_ great."

"I don't know. I mean, we were at the party, and we were having a great time with all the glee club kids, but there were a lot of people there. Like a _lot_. I'm pretty sure at least half of our class showed up at some point."

That meant people I didn't care for, people who'd made Kurt's life a living hell for the past three years. I wasn't sure if that had occurred to Blaine, but I didn't say anything.

"I went to get us something to drink, but when I got back, he was gone. So, I started looking around for him and eventually found him crying up against a wall, and I think Santana was storming off somewhere? I'm not really sure."

_What did Santana have to do with anything?_ I didn't voice it.

"So, I asked him what was wrong, and he just demanded that we leave. When I told him I had to find Finn first, he wouldn't let me leave him there. So, I got Tina to stand with him for a few minutes, and I got the keys from Finn. Don't worry, Kurt and I didn't drink anything, so I was fine to drive, I swear."

That kid really was starting to read my mind. But I didn't get it. Why wouldn't Kurt want to do anything? He was all about standing up to the people who tried to take him down. He never _left_ those things. He was too proud for that.

"He didn't say a single word to me on the ride back. Every time I tried to ask him a question, he'd either stay completely silent or just start crying again, so I stopped trying. And, then, well, yeah. Now we're here, and I am still clueless. I just don't know what happened, so I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Do you think I did something wrong?"

I wasn't sure what to tell him.

No, I didn't think he'd done anything wrong, but I knew that someone else at that party sure as hell had, and he wasn't there to stop it from happening. And where was _Finn_? Why wasn't _he_ there to stop it? I had a lot of questions I'd have liked to ask Kurt myself, but it certainly wasn't my turn to get any answers.

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then what is this? What am I supposed to do?"

I hated that he was feeling so helpless, but with so little information, there was just so little to say.

"I don't know what to tell you, kid."

He was so frustrated with everything. He hated not being in control, hated not being able to make Kurt happy with a few simple words.

"Well, why not? Aren't you supposed to know these things? Aren't you supposed to help me with this?"

I took a breath. I was calm enough to let him rage a little bit. I had to let him get it all out.

"It was these damn costumes, wasn't it?"

He threw his Batman mask to the ground.

"I _told_ him something like this was going to happen. I told him that it wasn't worth doing anything like this again until prom so that maybe, just _maybe_ we wouldn't have a repeat of last year! We even skipped the homecoming dance for this precise reason! I told him so many times, but he wouldn't listen to me."

I was stunned. There was so much information in that one statement that I wasn't completely sure where to start.

"Wait, there was a homecoming dance?"

"What?"

"A homecoming dance. The two of you _missed_ the homecoming dance?"

He was blown away that _that_ was the one detail I'd latched onto.

"Yeah, we both decided not to go. Why does it matter?"

"You decided not to go, because you were afraid of what would happen?"

"I mean, I guess so, yeah. We just weighed the risks and figured it wasn't worth doing anything that would deter us from enjoying prom."

That was the first time it really hit me just how much those two put on the line to be together. Wasn't going to a homecoming dance supposed to be something of a rite of passage for seniors? It was just one of those things that everybody did. But _they_ didn't. They _couldn't_, because it wasn't worth the risk.

He could tell how upset that made me.

"It's okay, really. It's not that big of a deal. The two of us certainly don't need a dance to have fun."

And _that_ came out much more awkwardly than _he _had expected.

"That's not -"

My eyebrows were raised and arms crossed on my chest.

He took a deep breath.

"What I _meant_ to say was, we stayed in that night and watched a movie, and it was a lot nicer than a crummy dance anyway."

I sighed.

Their sex life or possible lack thereof, my fingers were still crossed, was not something I needed to know a single detail of, really. They were teenagers. Of course they were... experimenting. I didn't like it. Of course I didn't like it one bit! I'm a dad, for Christ's sake, but I had to remember that at least they really cared about each other. They were perfect for each other, and I would just have to get over the two of them doing whatever it was they were doing in my house. I would just have to keep myself from thinking about it, really.

"I don't think I wanna know anyway."

"No, probably not," he mumbled with a smile.

I groaned.

"Sorry."

I took a deep breath. Not my business.

"Look, you love him right?"

"You know I do."

There was no doubt in my mind that that was true. I could see it in both of their eyes, all the time. Even when they were apart, it was obvious. If there was anyone Kurt could tell anything to, it was Blaine. And if there was anyone Blaine was completely safe with, it was Kurt.

"Then, when he's ready to talk to you, he will. Let him cool off and try again in the morning."

"I don't like going to bed with him upset."

"Well, listen, I don't think you need to push him anymore tonight."

He considered it very carefully.

"Yeah, yeah, you're probably right."

He sighed and buried his face in his hands again.

I was very surprised to hear the front door slowly creak open. I extended their curfews, and all three of them came home before their _normal_ curfews. I couldn't believe it.

"Finn?"

He jumped, clearly not expecting us to be there.

"Oh, uh, hey, you're still up?"

"It's not even one in the morning."

"Oh, right."

"What are you wearing?" Blaine laughed.

"Hey, it's Daddy Warbucks, don't judge."

There were so many things I wanted to say.

But I didn't, because one of my earlier questions was very close to being answered.

_Santana_ strutted in the door behind him.

"Santana?"

"Oh, Mr. Hummel, wow, um, Finn said you'd be asleep. Hey, Blaine."

Blaine raised a hand.

"Okay. What the hell is going on here?" I demanded.

Finn rubbed his forehead, and Santana looked to Blaine.

"He didn't tell you?" she asked.

"No, he didn't say anything to me. How could you possibly know more about this than I do?" Blaine responded.

Her lips curled.

"Look, if he hasn't told you, that's his business. Just make sure he knows that I've handled Karofsky, alright?"

"I don't think any of us really want to know what that means," Finn quipped.

"Well, I think _Blaine_ might," she said.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Blaine asked.

"I don't think it's really my place to tell you, and _that's_ saying something for me. You talk to him yourself."

"He won't let me!"

"Then tell him Santana sent you, and he _will_," she snapped, like it was the most obvious explanation in the world and like he really should have done it ages ago.

"What will that -"

"Just trust me on this one, okay, lover boy? I... I better be going. Nice seeing you again, Mr. H."

Finn scurried away from the door to let her leave, and it wasn't until we heard her car start outside that any of us could even think of something to do.

Blaine picked up his Batman mask and walked up the stairs in silence.

I motioned for Finn to sit down next to me.

"You know anything?"

"Nope, probably even less than you do."

We could hear Blaine pleading with Kurt to let him in. Santana was right, though. At the mention of her name, the door clicked open and then shut again. A part of me remembered that they weren't technically allowed to be in a room with the door closed _ever_ and certainly not that late. But a much larger part of me was simply too curious to know what was going on to even care.

"My mind is seriously blown right now," Finn said.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

He was very quiet.

"I think Rachel's about to break up with me."

The night was just getting even more bizarre.

"Rachel? You're thinking about _Rachel_ right now?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

He was all over the place and fairly skittish, even for someone so clumsy. I was still confused about him coming home with Santana as well. Since when did we like her in this house exactly?

"Finn, have you been drinking?"

"No, _what_? Of course not! I just don't know what's going on right now."

"Well, join the club!"

"What am I supposed to be worried about again?"

"Kurt and Blaine, they're... well, I don't actually know what. They're something."

"Something, huh? Sounds pretty bad."

I was pissed. I was pissed that my son was so upset, that Blaine couldn't figure out anything that would make it better, and the Finn couldn't care less one way or the other.

"You gonna tell me why you're acting like such a smart ass tonight?"

He got up off the couch, and I could see that distinct pain in his eyes again, something that hurt a lot worse than what I saw at the airport so many months ago.

"'Night."

He started walking up the stairs.

"Hey, wait, Finn. Hey, Finn, come on!"

He didn't turn around. He didn't come back, and I didn't know it then, but it'd be awhile before I figured _that_ one out.

I felt so guilty. For everything, really. At that moment, I truly believed that I shouldn't have even let them go to that stupid party. Not that I ever could have known what would happen, not that they wouldn't have hated me for giving them absolutely no concrete reason for them to have to stay home on Halloween other than, "I said so." I still wonder if I could rewind time if I'd have made them stay home that night. Looking back on it, I'm not so sure.

Because what happened that night was far from over. It was only beginning, really. And it led to what happened over the next few days, what damn near tore our family apart but really never could have been avoided.

It led to just one more reason why I really hate Halloween.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and send me a review with your thoughts and what you think might happen next! :)<p> 


	15. The Meltdown

OH. MY. GOSH. You guys, I am in AWE of all of the feedback for chapter fourteen! I need to start leaving you will cliffhangers more often... just kidding! I would not do that to you! :) However... I AM going to do that to you again in this chapter. But, I promise that everything that happens in this chapter will be completely cleared up by the end of the next chapter (well, minus the Finn sub-plot which is scheduled to blow up a little bit further down the road). So, do not fret - the boys will definitely be happy again soon. I am still just in absolute amazement at all of the beautiful things you said in your record-breaking number of reviews for this story! You guys have kept me smiling from ear to ear and convinced me to get this chapter out much sooner than usual to relieve the suspense!

Also, I want you guys to also know that I have completely put off studying for my midterm (which is tomorrow) to work on this chapter. Who cares about America in the 1950s and 1960s when Kurt and Blaine are around, right? :) So, if I fail... I blame all of your beautifully kind comments! Again, just kidding - all of your reviews would be worth it anyways! :)

One more thing... I am sort of amazed by my own abilities tonight too. Right now, it is roughly six in the morning, and I plan on posting this at eight. I've been writing and perfecting this chapter (the longest yet by FAR) since about one... and, I'm not going to lie to you, I'm a bit exhausted. Like, I'm hitting that point of exhaustion where everything starts getting a bit loopy. And this is an AMAZING thing! Somehow, it seems to always be right around this point of exhaustion when I'm about to respond to all of your reviews. And somehow, I always look back at those replies, and I'm like, "Oh, yikes! Did I really just tell them that?" So, if you want to know any secrets to the future of this story, send me a review, particularly one with a fairly ambiguous question. Because, more likely that not, I'll accidentally send you my entire master outline for the next two months of chapters.

Haha, you guys are so incredible, and I just want to say THANK YOU one more time for all of your outstanding support!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>They broke up.<p>

All of my worst fears were realized that next day. They completely stopped speaking to each other and stolidly refused to even look at each other. The only things that could even pry them out of their rooms were school and food.

It was impossible. Impossible to live with them, impossible to escape the thick tension that completely overwhelmed our entire house, and impossible to get them to tell me, or anyone else for that matter, what had happened that night or why they weren't together anymore.

I think the weirdest thing, though, was that they were _both_ complete wrecks to the point that it was almost impossible to even tell who had instigated the break up.

The only clue came from a rare moment of voluntary interaction.

Kurt was sitting with his legs to his chest outside of Blaine's closed door when I found him.

I crouched down to his level to find his face stained with tears and his nail beds bright red from being picked at over and over again.

I was still so perplexed. I didn't know what had happened on Halloween. I didn't know why they had broken up. I didn't know why my son was crumpled on the floor outside of the room of the person he loved so perfectly and was now so undeniably upset.

I knew that it had to be handled very gently if I was ever going to get any answers or be in any position to bring the return of normalcy to my household.

"Hey, buddy. Do you mind if I sit with you?"

He scrunched up his face as if a fresh wave of tears were about to begin and wiped his eyes.

I sat down next to him.

"I screwed up, Dad. I screwed up so badly. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was never supposed to happen. He..."

He took a deep, rattled breath, and shook his head, trying so hard not to start crying again.

"He couldn't trust me. I told him that he could, but he couldn't. He couldn't..."

He couldn't keep the tears from coming on strong again. I wrapped an arm around him and let him cry it out on my shoulder.

So it was _Blaine_. Blaine broke up with Kurt, not the other way around, not the way it seemed to be going on Halloween.

What could Kurt have possibly done to turn the tables so profoundly? What could have been so disastrous that Kurt was feeling so guilty, so helpless? What had Kurt done that made Blaine willing to risk literally every single thing in his life over?

There were so many questions, and I knew that eventually they'd have to be answered. I just couldn't decide if it was worth asking them at that moment or to keep hoping that maybe he'd just explain it all to me on his own.

I had to say something.

"Kurt, why don't we -"

"No, I don't want to."

"We have to talk about this, Kurt."

"Dad, can you please just -"

He covered his eyes with his hands and sighed. He stood up and walked down the hall to his room, closing the door behind him.

That was the most information I'd gotten since it happened, and that little bit was enough for me at that moment. My mind was whirring. I knew there were still so many questions I'd have to ask and so many arguments I'd have to have in order to even _begin_ to figure it all out.

I didn't let myself think about the fact that they were _actually_ broken up. The long term effects, that is. It made me sick whenever my mind would wander to it. It always made me want to act, to do something drastic like break down their doors, grab them by the scruffs of their necks and force them to figure it out. But something like that could really only work with tough guys like Finn, not guys like Kurt and Blaine who would only be even less inclined to figure anything out at all.

The whole situation felt so hopeless as I was still sitting there on the floor outside of Blaine's door. I was still thinking, still composing a plan of action.

Finn's door opened in front of me, but he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. He was on the phone.

"Yeah. ... No, I can't anymore. ... No, they're driving me -"

That's when he noticed me sitting there.

"Uh, Puck, I'll be there in ten, okay?"

He hung up and walked toward me.

"What are you doing on the floor?"

"Not really in the mood right now, kid."

It probably came out meaner than I had intended.

"Seems to be a lot of that going around," he said bitterly.

He paused.

I think he was expecting me to say something about his tone, but I didn't. There were too many things on my mind. I was so focused on trying to come up with a plan to deal with Kurt and Blaine that I was barely even aware that Finn was trying to start a conversation with me. And I certainly wasn't aware of the disappointed look on his face.

"I'm going to Puck's."

"Sure."

He turned around and started walking away.

"Don't be late," I said to his back.

He raised a hand and walked down the stairs.

I had to do something. I was tired of waiting, tired of letting whatever it was they were going through completely divide our house. I'd talked to Kurt, but I had yet to hear anything from Blaine.

If he had started this thing, I knew that it couldn't end without hearing his side of the story... or really any concrete story at all.

I stood up and knocked on his door, but there was no answer.

So, I opened the door myself and was surprised to find him still in bed. It was rounding on four o'clock on that Sunday afternoon, his entire body was underneath his comforter, and all of the lights in his room were off.

I'd never seen anyone so miserable. It didn't even make sense. If _he_ was the one who broke it off, if _he'd_ been the one who'd made the decision, then shouldn't it be _Kurt_ who was having the complete breakdown? Not that Kurt _wasn't_, but I guess I just wasn't expecting to see _Blaine_ in full meltdown mode.

Too many things didn't make any sense.

"Blaine?"

I turned the lights on.

"Can you please just go away?" I heard from underneath the blanket.

I wasn't going anywhere. I deserved a straight explanation.

"No, I can't. We need to talk about this."

"I don't really feel up to talking right now."

There was one surefire way to get Blaine to talk. It was so wrong. It was so manipulative, and a part of me felt so disgusting for even doing it. But I was desperate.

The one thing Blaine responded to above anything else was authority. He never escaped that _fear_, not completely. He knew I'd never hurt him, knew that there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of in my house, but it was still in him. And I needed it right then.

"Hey, you listen to me -"

I pulled the blanket off of his head, and he immediately sat up. I noticed there was something like panic rising in his red-rimmed eyes, but I continued.

"You _are_ talking about this. You're _done_ moping around. And you're sure as hell not dragging everyone else in this house down with you. You got that?"

It was different than Kurt. It had to be. I had been with Kurt for every single moment of his life, and I had never seen him as upset as he had been that day. _Blaine_ had caused that, somehow. And regardless of absolutely everything that we'd all been through, I would always have that instinct to protect my son, to get angry at anything or anyone that made him upset. That's just the way it was.

He nodded, shakily.

I leaned back, out of his face, but remained standing over him. I crossed my arms, and he pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Now, where would _you_ like to begin?"

He blinked a few times in rapid succession and gasped for the right words. He took a deep breath, trying to focus.

I wanted to know what was going through his mind. I just wanted him to say something, _anything._

"Are you kicking me out?"

Anything other than that.

"Excuse me?"

He looked stunned, like he couldn't believe that I didn't see the most obvious thing in the world.

"You let me live here, because I was dating Kurt. And I'm-"

He choked on the words. Tears welled to the surface of his eyes, but he shook them off in embarrassment.

"I'm not dating Kurt anymore. So, there's no reason for you to keep me around."

I figured that was the first time he'd actually said those words out loud. They sounded so wrong, like a part of him refused to even believe them and couldn't completely understand _why_ they were true but _knew _they were.

I sat down on the edge of his bed and put my hand on his knee. I looked right into his eyes, trying to convey to him just how serious I was, just how important it was that he listened very carefully and fully understood every word that I was about to say.

"_You_ are not going anywhere, do you understand me? Whether you are dating my son or not, you are a part of this family. This is _your_ home too, and there is nothing, and I'm serious, I mean _nothing_ that can ever change that. You are my son now too, kid, and you're staying right here in this house no matter what happens with you and Kurt. You got that?"

A part of him had been holding on to the idea that maybe, just maybe that was what I'd say all along, but the great majority of him was not expecting it at all. He was expecting me to come in here and tell him to pack up, to drive back to his father's house and pretend like the last five months had never even happened.

I didn't want to push him, but I was still there to figure out what had happened the night before. It was still a priority.

"Now, as for last -"

"Wait, what did you mean by _I'm_ your son now too? Not that - not that I don't _want_ - I just mean, you sounded very... very adamant about it, more so than you ever have before now."

His face was twisted in confusion. It was a simple question, and I knew the answer very readily. I knew it had been too early to throw that fact at him. It wasn't supposed to happen like that.

Of course, Kurt and Blaine weren't ever supposed to break up either.

I decided to go for it. He was just going to find out eventually.

"The adoption papers came in the mail last week. With a few signatures from you, you will officially be a... Hudson-Hummel, I guess you'd call it. Of course, you can keep being an Anderson if you still want to. No pressure there."

I sighed.

"I'm sorry, kid, it was supposed to be a surprise for your birthday."

He stood up out of the bed and moved to the other side of the room. It was like he was trying to get as far away from me as possible. It felt so wrong. If there was one time in all of time that it was absolutely awful to tell him that, it was right then, when he had just broken up with the guy who was about to legally become his brother.

"I don't know what to say. I don't - I mean, _wow_. Just... wow, this is just really sudden."

"Hey, look, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Why don't we just put it behind us for a minute and pretend I never said anything about it, okay? We'll bring it up again when you and Kurt figure this whole thing out."

He couldn't believe I was even under that kind of a delusion. His jaw dropped open a bit and he started shaking his head back and forth.

"I'm sorry, but do you really think it's that simple? Do you really think I'd throw our entire relationship away if I wasn't sure? You _can't_ know, because you have no idea what he did to me."

I was amazed that he was even able to get the words out. They physically pained him to say, but there was so much in that one statement. So much to be unlocked.

"Maybe I could -"

"Could you please leave, actually? I'm not really fit to talk about this anymore."

He had backed himself into a corner and was holding onto his elbows like he was afraid they'd fall off if he let go. He was overwhelmed. There was no use even trying to talk to him at that point.

I stood up and moved to the door.

"Look, this isn't over, alright? We've got to talk about this sometime."

He nodded.

I opened the door and left.

I sat on the couch for a long time, waiting, thinking. I had to figure something out. I had to put them back together. But I knew that it wasn't something that could be forced. I knew it had to be completely organic, and I really couldn't even have _anything_ to do with it. It seemed like the more I pushed them, the further apart they got. But I still felt responsible for it, for them. I still felt like there was some simple solution, something I just hadn't quite thought of yet. And if I stayed right there and kept thinking, maybe, just maybe it'd come to me.

It wasn't until six thirty when I heard Kurt walk down the stairs behind me, trying to sneak out without a conversation.

"Where are you going?" I said, quickly snapping around to face him.

His hand was curled around the doorknob, and he slowly lifted his head to meet my eyes.

"Rachel and Mercedes are outside. They're taking me to dinner."

His hair was flat against his forehead, like he used to leave it before he met Blaine. There was no _pizazz_, as Kurt would say, in his outfit either. He'd just thrown some clothes on and maybe combed his hair a few times, the bare minimum to be presentable to leave the house. He was so un-Kurt, and it made my heart ache.

But at least he was dressed. At least he wasn't crumpled on the floor. At least he wasn't hiding away in his room anymore.

"Yeah, yeah, go on. Have fun."

He opened the door.

"Thanks, Dad."

And left.

I sighed and was surprised to find Carole entering the kitchen with bags of take out in her arms. I walked into the room to help her with them.

"What is all this?"

"The boys' favorite. Of course, there's only one of them here, but still."

I smiled.

"More for us, then. I'll go get Blaine, though. I'm sure he's starving."

She gently put a hand on my arm, her face exuding sympathy.

"Let him be for right now, Burt, and take it to him later. He's going through a lot."

There was something more to that, something more than she was letting on.

"Hold on, do you know something that I don't?"

"All_ I_ know is what Finn told me."

She paused. And I knew that what Finn told her was definitely something Finn _hadn't_ told me.

"And judging by the look on your face, that is more than _you_ know and should really be something Kurt and Blaine tell you themselves."

"Carole -"

"Nope, you're not getting anything from me. Finn heard it all from Santana, and he confided it in me. When Kurt and Blaine are ready to talk to you, they will. You just have to be patient."

It was all so infuriating. How was I still so in the dark? All I knew was that Blaine was the one who broke up with Kurt. Kurt did _something_ that made Blaine so upset that he actually ended a relationship with the person he loved more than anyone else in the world. It was unfathomable, still. And what about the Santana of it all? How did _she_ have anything to do with anything? My head was spinning.

"How about we just sit down and eat a nice meal and forget that we even know any teenagers?"

She was the perfect woman. It wasn't even a question.

"There is absolutely nothing I'd rather do."

After we finished eating, I offered Blaine a plate of food if he'd come downstairs and watch a game with me. He obliged, happy to leave his troubles behind and at least pretend to focus on something else for a little bit.

Blaine hadn't changed out of his pajamas all day.

I could not understand how Kurt was faring better than Blaine when it logically should have been the other way around.

But I refused to think about it while we watched that game. If he wasn't going to think about it, neither was I. The two of us both deserved something relaxing and mindless.

It wasn't until the fourth quarter of that game when Kurt walked in the front door.

I momentarily flashed back to the times I'd watched games with Finn and Kurt had been overcome with jealousy. It was only amplified tenfold in that moment. It was like I was fraternizing with the enemy to him.

I don't think Kurt had completely registered the fact that I was actually speaking to Blaine. Because if _he_ wasn't speaking to Blaine, why should anyone else be speaking to Blaine? Especially, why should his _dad_ be speaking to Blaine? I was supposed to be on his side, right? Wasn't that how it worked?

No, it _wasn't_. Not for them. And it wasn't fair to either of them, really. But I was on both of their sides, and Kurt would have to get over it.

It was an awkward moment. All three of us in the same room with no one saying a word. I could almost see the tension welling up in Kurt's chest. He looked at both of us, me who was willing to make eye contact with him and Blaine whose eyes were fixated on his knees and who was just hoping that Kurt would disappear so we could finish the game in peace.

It was an opportunity. I had to take it.

Kurt took a sharp breath and stormed toward the stairs.

"Hey, come here. The two of you are talking to each other. Right now. We're done with the silent treatment."

Blaine buried his face in his hands, so overwhelmingly upset that I'd made that decision.

"No, we're not."

"It wasn't a request, Kurt."

He was furious at me. He comes into the house to see me practically _hanging out_ with his ex-boyfriend, and then I'm forcing him to join us. I'd have been pissed too.

He crossed into the living room and sat down as far away from Blaine as possible while still facing him head on. Blaine couldn't even look up yet.

I was just going to have to work with it. It was better than nothing, right? Hell, it was the best I'd done so far. I should have been ecstatic that those two were even still physically in the same eye line.

"Kurt, I want you to tell me everything that happened last night," I said, standing between the two of them and turning off the television.

Kurt was pleased that he had been given the torch to start the conversation, to get his side of the story out first before Blaine could start accusing.

Until.

"Could you just tell me one thing?"

Blaine's head had lifted, and he was actually speaking. I wasn't going to stop him. I was so afraid that if I did, he'd never say another word.

"Did you ever really love me?"

Blaine was so forceful, so suddenly prepared for whatever was about to come out of Kurt's mouth. Kurt turned to stone, so shocked that Blaine was that ready to attack him, especially in front of me. Tears were already forming in his eyes, and he was trying to hide his shaking hands.

"How can you even say that to me? I _still_ -"

"Don't. Don't you dare throw that bullshit at me, Kurt."

I thought that was a little harsh. But I still didn't even know what was going on. And there was no way in hell I was going to say anything. A part of me was secretly hoping that it would escalate and in the heat of the moment, I'd finally get some answers.

"It's true, Blaine. It is, and I need you to _listen_ to me. Please, -"

Kurt's voice was shaking and pleading. He was so desperate.

"Why should I? You've done nothing but hide this from me for _weeks_."

Blaine was unwavering. He had a newfound bout of confidence. He was still sitting, I assumed because he couldn't expect his legs to support him while he was focusing all of his energy in beating Kurt at that argument.

"I _couldn't_ tell you. He trusted me."

"You mean like _I_ trusted you? Like _I_ thought that I could tell you anything, that what you and I had was so much bigger than absolutely anything else? Thank you for _that_ at least, for helping me realize just how _stupid _I was to ever think I could ever have that."

Kurt was trying so hard not to cry to the point of sobbing. Tears were slowly falling down his face, but he had to keep his composure if he was going to come up with the right words.

"You don't know what you're saying. You're _wrong_."

"_I'm_ wrong? Me? _I'm_ the one who's wrong?"

He stood up.

"_You_ kissed Karofsky, Kurt. _You_ kissed him. _You_ cheated on _me_! You know what? You're wrong. _You_ are wrong. This is _your_ fault!"

"I didn't -"

"But you _did_! Don't you see? This doesn't just go away because you want it to! You don't get to rewind time and _not_ do it! How are you not getting this? This is real, Kurt! This is what _you_ did to _me_. This is what you did to _us_! And I can't _be_ an us if you can't even respect me enough to tell me the fucking truth."

He was screaming, raging. Every single one of his features was contorted in pure fury. I'd seen him upset before, disappointed, depressed... but nothing like that. Nothing that could contain that much resentment, that much hatred. I didn't even think it was possible for someone who was always so caring, so considerate to be seething in anger like that.

That was the moment I first realized that there was so much to Blaine that I figured not even Kurt had seen until that very moment.

He was a wildcard.

I had no idea what he was going to do next, but he actually impressed me. He kept his composure for the most part, just throwing one last terrible look at Kurt before storming upstairs.

As soon as Blaine's door slammed shut, Kurt completely broke down into deep, wracking sobs.

Blaine had said that Kurt kissed Karofsky at that Halloween party. But Kurt tried to refute it. The Kurt that I knew simply wouldn't do that. Kurt _wouldn't_ kiss another guy! Especially not someone as disgusting and terrible as _Karofsky_. Kurt _loved_ Blaine. He loved him so much that he could barely breathe now that he was faced with losing him.

There was something wrong. There was some piece missing. There was some part of the story that no one was willing to tell me.

There was some secret that I still needed to uncover.

I sat down next to Kurt and put a hand on his back.

"Kurt -"

"Please," he said and stood up.

He kicked over the coffee table, almost trying to match Blaine's anger, but all it did was cause a few magazines to tumble to the floor

"This isn't _fair_, Dad. You don't know what - You have no idea what this is really about! You can't - I can't..."

He took a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts.

"I just need you to believe me. Please, just... tell me you believe me."

"Yeah, son, I believe you."

And I really did. Maybe Kurt did kiss Karofsky. Maybe he really had cheated on Blaine. But it just didn't make any sense. Kurt had no reason or motive to do such a thing, and it didn't sit well with me. Not one bit.

Of course, I wouldn't find out just how right I was for a few more days.

"Thanks, Dad," he said, almost inaudibly.

I could see the tears building up in his eyes again. He turned around and ran up the stairs to keep me from noticing.

I was alone in the living room, still completely stunned, still trying to organize my thoughts.

I'm not sure how long I sat there like that, until the front door clicked open and I was met by yet another sad face.

I had completely forgotten about him. I looked down at my watch to find that it was midnight, an hour after he was supposed to be home on a weeknight.

He was surveying the room and trying to read my mood.

"You're late," I said, not really looking at him.

"I know."

He paused.

I couldn't handle another fight. I was just so exhausted. He could break curfew every night for the rest of his life for all I cared at that very moment.

"Did I miss something?" he asked, motioning to the fallen coffee table.

I sighed.

"Just go to bed, Finn."

I rubbed my eyes, and he walked up the stairs without another word.

I was done, completely worn out. I didn't know how much more I could take. I didn't know how many more days I could live in that house the way it was.

But even then, I knew it wasn't over. Not even close.

* * *

><p>Thank you so much for reading, and shoot me a review if you get the chance with any comments, thoughts, or how YOU think all of this madness will end! :)<p> 


	16. The Normal

Alright, here it is, everyone! The conclusion to all (most!) of the cliffhangers from the last few chapters! I am so, so, SO psyched for all of you to read this chapter, and I am so thankful for your patience in getting it out.

As you may have already noticed, this chapter is MASSIVE. It's almost longer than two regular chapters! I just started writing this bad boy, and when I hit about 3,000 words, I noticed I was only roughly halfway through the story I wanted to tell. So, I had a bit of a crisis. My choices were to either publish the first half yesterday and give you yet another cliffhanger or post all of it as one mega chapter today and end your suffering. I hope you are all very happy with the choice... I know I am!

Also, I actually tried to post the FULL chapter yesterday, but the literally gut-wrenching news that broke on Friday night got me so upset that I couldn't really focus on Glee things for too long. I won't say what it was just in case some of you are trying to avoid these things, but it is some serious season three news that is literally blowing my mind. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things will work out for the best, but I'm still horribly dejected. However, all of your outstanding reviews from the last chapter really have put a smile back on my face, and if you would be so kind as to keep it up... I think I can keep smiling. :)

And on that note... can we please address the fact that this story currently has over 300 reviews? I mean, WHAT? You guys, I am seriously crying tears of pure delight right now! All of your gorgeous words for the last chapter completely surpassed all of my wildest dreams! You are all SO amazing and special to me. This story would literally be nothing without you, so THANK YOU for all of the support and for sticking by me through ups, downs, and sixteen whole chapters. You are simply incredible!

And now ... (drum roll, Finn) ... enjoy!

* * *

><p>The silence was back.<p>

After that fight, there just wasn't much use in trying to get the two of them to speak to each other again. I did everything I could for the first few days, but it got to the point where I just had to give up and let them be, at least for the time being.

After the first day of school after the break up, Kurt was... _rejuvenated_, in a way, but _Blaine_ was more sullen than ever. Kurt wanted to talk to Blaine, give it one last shot, but Blaine wouldn't say a word to him. He was still too crushed.

Even more, Kurt's friends would find ways to get him out of the house to cheer him up, but Blaine was mostly alone. Really, _completely_ alone.

Because, Blaine's friends were Kurt's friends _before_ they were Blaine's friends. And all of them only knew Kurt's side of the story... the "Blaine broke my heart," side of the story.

Kurt was only telling them the truth, but Blaine wasn't telling them anything at all.

So, of course they'd all turned against him.

Or at least that's what Mr. Schuester tried to tell me when he called me at work.

"Kurt actually seems to be alright, surprisingly. I mean, there's been a lack of hair gel, certainly, but Blaine's definitely taking it all a lot harder. I really hate to ask this, but... has he slept_, _like,_ at_ _all_? He just looks so exhausted, and I don't even think I've heard him speak since the week started. I just want to make sure they're both handling this as healthily as possible."

I was incredulous.

"I don't know if _healthy_'s the word I'd use."

"Then what word _would_ you use?"

I sighed.

I completely understood his concern, and I respected his opinion very highly, but I still didn't even really know what _I_ was doing with the whole situation. I guess I was still trying to pretend that it'd all work itself out on its own, because I simply could not think of a single other thing to try. I just didn't know what he wanted from me.

"I'd say... they're two very emotional guys living in the same house, and, you know, they're just trying to survive it, I guess."

He was silent for a few moments.

"Mr. Hummel, I'm sorry if I'm overstepping -"

I flashed back to the first time Blaine came to my shop. It felt like years ago.

"- but I think it's a little bit past that."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean that Kurt seems to have... I don't really know how to put this, but he seems to have sort of... built up an _army_ against Blaine. I doubt it was intentional, but my glee club has sufficiently been divided into everyone else versus Blaine, with Finn on his own little island. They're pretty good at doing things like that, actually, but it's never escalated quite like this. Usually the opposing party fights back, but Blaine's not even making a case for himself! It's like he just wants to forget that anything's even happening. I'm just afraid that denial can only tear them even farther apart."

I rubbed my eyes. Nothing he said surprised me. Blaine was always in denial. It was one of the toughest things for him to get over when he first moved in. It was like he was always searching for some kind of new shot, some new way to move on instead of dealing with his feelings.

Of course he was in denial about Kurt. How could he deal with his feelings when he literally could never escape the one thing that had made him so upset? Blaine went to school, and he went home. And Kurt was in both of those places, all the time.

He just wanted to be left alone to deal with himself before he could deal with Kurt. And without that space, all he could do was stay quiet.

Plus, it's not like he even had the credibility to start preaching his side of the story to the glee club. I knew he thought that no one would even believe him if he did, not when it was Kurt versus Blaine, not when everybody had already been to hell and back with Kurt and were still really just sort of getting to know _Blaine_.

And above all, he still loved Kurt. I knew he did. No matter how angry he was, he still wanted Kurt to be happy. He wasn't going to do anything that might make Kurt's friends feel the same way that he did after the break up. No one deserved to feel like that, and he knew it wouldn't have done any good anyway.

All he wanted was some space. And for things to be normal again.

He was just going to have some trouble working through the denial to be able to stand up for himself long enough to get back to that.

"I wish I could disagree with you, but you're right, you know."

I sighed.

"Look, I also think that this has gone on for far too long. I'm... I'm gonna do something. I don't know what yet, but I'm gonna do it."

I paused.

"I really appreciate your concern, Will. You're a good man."

"Hey, I just hate seeing them like this. And let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Right back atcha."

He laughed.

"How about if somehow this is still going on in, say... a week, we'll stage an intervention?"

I laughed right back.

"Now that's a plan I can get on board with."

Hell, it just might've worked.

"That's what I like to hear. Now, um, just one more quick thing. I'm starting to get a little bit worried about Finn, actually. Have you noticed any changes in him recently? Or just... I don't know. He always puts up such a tough exterior, I guess I never can really-"

The bell rang outside the shop. I had to go.

"Finn, yeah, yeah. Actually, Will, I'm really sorry, but I'm gonna have to let you go right now. I've got a customer.

"Oh, of course. Don't worry about it."

I should have been worrying about it.

"Right. Goodbye then."

I came home later that night to find Kurt sitting in the kitchen. I was actually surprised. It was the first time I'd seen any of the boys voluntarily sitting in a "public" space in the house in days.

Kurt was usually either gone or in his room, so I knew I had to take the opportunity to talk to him, man-to-man, father to son.

I sat down at the table next to him, trying to figure out a good starting place. He hadn't even looked up at me yet, and I hadn't said a word.

He was great at making things difficult.

"Whatcha working on?"

"Homework."

He was still focused on the page. I'd already tried this routine before, and he wasn't falling for another "we need to talk about this" trap.

Well, until Blaine walked in, that is.

A smile spread across my face. How could it get any better than this? Fate had somehow put the two of them in the same room at the same time right when I was so determined to get them to talk to each other.

He froze in the entranceway, and Kurt looked up from the table.

The two of them actually made eye contact. It was fleeting, sure. But it happened. And that was really something.

Blaine opened his mouth ever so slightly, as if just maybe he was going to try to say something. Kurt was transfixed. All he wanted was for Blaine to speak to him, to come up with anything at all to say to him.

But he quickly closed it and turned to leave.

"Hey, Blaine, come on -"

I tried, but he was running up the stairs before I could even finish.

Kurt sighed and leaned his head on his fingertips.

"There's no use trying, Dad."

So, I wasn't the only one who'd given up. Fate was against me again.

"You don't think so?"

"He's clearly done. _He_ broke up with _me_. And that's that. Nothing I can do or say is going to change his mind."

He sighed.

"I just don't know how to get through to him."

It was always supposed to be that if there was anyone on Earth who _could_ get through to Blaine, it was Kurt. Kurt was his best friend, his first love. It was just starting to sink in, how bad everything really was.

"You'll come up with something."

"I don't know if I will, though."

He doesn't know if he _can_ or if he _will_?

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It _means_ that I'm tired of being heartbroken, Dad. I'm tired of putting all of myself out there for someone who literally will not speak a single word to me. I'm tired of this feeling gnawing at the pit of my stomach, this feeling that I'm _never_ going to be able to get over this, because I'm always going to be trying to get us back together."

It was more than I'd heard from Kurt in days. It was the last thing I ever wanted for my son. Before he met Blaine, I was still under that parental delusion that he'd just stay perfectly innocent and happy for the rest of his life, that he'd never have to go through anything like this.

It was stupid, I know, but at that moment, all I wanted was to go back to when Kurt was a little boy, when all he cared about were organizing his Crayons and shiny necklaces.

His heartbreak was my heartbreak, and I knew that I had to fix this for him.

"The two of you _will _work this out. He just needs some space, you know."

"But he won't listen to me! When I told him about everything on Halloween, he told me straight that he just couldn't handle being with someone who'd lied to him. He couldn't be with someone who'd... betrayed him. But I never lied to him, Dad. I kept secrets from him, yes, I fully admit that, but I didn't have a choice!"

I wasn't completely sure what all of that meant. I still didn't know what _everything_ was. All I heard about the events of that night were from when Blaine started yelling in the living room a few days before. And I wasn't even sure how much of _that_ was true.

But I didn't want to stop him. If I asked for a detail, I'd never hear another word out of him. At least he was speaking. I just had to time everything perfectly if we were actually going to carry on a conversation.

Kurt groaned but was clearly poised to keep going.

"He's just so frustrating! It's _all _so frustrating. If he would just talk to me, I know I could fix this. But he won't listen to me. He just sulks and pretends I don't exist. How am I supposed to handle that?"

It was a question I had to answer.

But I hesitated.

It was time to be a dad, not just another one of his friends who'd tell him exactly what he wanted to hear.

"In all fairness, Kurt, you haven't really made talking the easiest thing in the world. How can he talk to you when you're out with your friends who _apparently _are refusing to talk to him as well?"

"I didn't ask them to do that."

He was trying to throw as much guilt away from him as possible. The last thing he needed was even more guilt.

"Now, I'm not saying you did, Kurt, but you know the only reason they're doing it is because they care so much about you."

I tried to go for two birds with one stone.

"Have you told them the full story?"

"I've told them everything, Dad. _They_ know more than he does, because _he_ won't even _let_ me tell him the full story."

He did have a point. But I had to keep pushing him.

"All I'm trying to say is that maybe you shouldn't be pushing him away just yet. You know it's not worth ending. Just try a little bit harder to reach out to him again."

He looked completely outraged that I would even suggest such a thing. I had to hold my ground. If Kurt stopped trying, there was nothing anyone else could do. He was the only hope.

"I need to _try harder_? Dad, I've tried. Believe me, I've tried. I've tried everything, but he won't talk to me. The only people he _will_ talk to are like... Santana and _Finn_."

_Jesus Christ, what was with this girl?_

I certainly couldn't bring _that_ up, though. It was the absolute least of my concerns.

"Kurt, have you tried apologizing to him? And I mean, not in the heat of any kind of argument or in a haste, but really, sincerely apologized to him?"

He thought about it very carefully and closed his eyes.

"I don't know why I _should_, when _he's_ the one who's making this so difficult."

It was so quiet. He always said the things he didn't actually believe in his quietest voice.

"I think you know _exactly_ why you should."

They were in love. It was as simple as that.

Tears started pouring down his face, hot and fast. He wiped them away and took a deep breath.

"I don't understand how all of this crumbled so quickly. And after everything he's been through... how could I have done this to him? I never wanted to hurt him. I didn't even think I was doing anything wrong. It was _never _like that, not until Halloween, when he -"

I was so close. So close to getting such a huge answer.

But it'd have to wait.

Kurt heaved a sigh, catching himself before he said something more than he'd bargained for.

"It's hopeless, isn't it, Dad?"

That was the big question. It didn't matter if I thought it was hopeless or not. There was only one thing to say.

"Do you still love him?"

He looked right at me.

"More than I can even fully comprehend."

And that was the big answer.

"Then it's not hopeless."

He nodded, and I wondered if he was actually convinced at that moment. I think he had to be, really.

"And we're gonna try again. We're doing family dinner tonight. At the very least, you'll have to sit together civilly, right?"

He looked horrified. Somehow convincing Blaine to talk to him was one thing, but having to sit through a terribly awkward family dinner was something else entirely.

"Do you really think that's the best plan?"

I thought it was the only plan I could think of.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

He thought about it very carefully, knowing there was really no sense in arguing.

"Well, if it blows up in all of our faces, don't say I didn't warn you."

He left the kitchen and walked upstairs.

I was at a loss for a lot of things. Words, thoughts, and ranging on hope. Somehow, sitting everybody in the family at a table together would have to do _something_ good, right? I had no idea. But I certainly wanted to let myself believe it.

The kitchen door swung open, and I was suddenly faced with Finn.

He was carrying his backpack, which meant he hadn't even been home yet from school. It didn't make sense. He was supposed to call me if he was going to be late coming home. We'd made that deal, because Carole was always at work later than I was. But I hadn't gotten a call, and it was past six o'clock.

"Where've you been?"

He walked to the refrigerator with a slight limp.

"Football practice."

"Which ends at _five_, right? That was over an hour ago, Finn."

He grabbed a Gatorade and an ice pack and sat down at the table next to me.

"I had to stay late."

"Well, I got that much. I was kind of looking for a reason as to why, actually."

I wasn't sure why I was being such a dick to him. He really hadn't done anything wrong. He'd just been at football practice longer than usual. I was channeling my anger at him. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't keep myself from doing it.

"Kurt didn't tell you?"

And _that's_ when I started to feel bad.

"No, no, he didn't tell me anything. Was he supposed to?"

He looked so lost.

"I mean, I guess not, but, uh, he forgot that I had practice this afternoon and didn't get a ride home. So, he came down to the field _during_ practice to find me and get my keys to drive himself home."

He sighed, took off one of his shoes, and put the ice pack on his swollen ankle, wincing slightly as he did so.

"Anyway, so, I had to go back into the school to get them from my locker, and Beiste kept me there doing suicides for an hour after practice ended. I couldn't get away to call, and I just figured Kurt had already told you, so..."

He lifted up the ice pack to look at his ankle again.

"Hey, do you have any idea what a sprained ankle is supposed to look like?"

"No clue."

"Huh."

I should have said something to him. I should have known that he needed me to just _say_ anything.

"I guess it doesn't really matter, anyway. Uh, see ya."

He stood up and walked away. I'd ask him about the ankle later. I'd ask him how the season was going later. I'd _care_ later.

Or at least that's what I told myself.

By the time dinner rolled around, I was starting to get nervous.

It was surprisingly easy to talk Blaine into it, though. He just nodded his head and came downstairs when he was told to.

It was too easy. And the easiness only made me even more _un_easy.

We were all at the table, and for the most part, things were going well. Sure, Blaine hadn't said a single word yet and Kurt was getting more annoyed with every passing minute, but things really weren't as bad as I was expecting them to be.

No one had killed anyone yet, and Finn had actually prepared a list of stupid jokes that really were only funny because they were coming from Finn but managed to even crack a smile on _Blaine's_ face a few times.

For a moment, I really thought the whole dinner thing might just be a success.

Until Kurt started talking about how much fun he'd had with Mercedes the night before, and the new scarf he'd bought with Rachel and Brittany on Sunday, and how Sam had taught him a few things about comic books, that is.

He was trying to get Blaine to say something, anything at all. He was trying to get Blaine to care about what was going on in his life just one more time to give him any kind of hint that they could at the very least maybe be friends one day.

But Blaine didn't say anything. And Kurt just got more upset, more _angry_, really.

And then it all broke down.

Kurt was eying the rolls. They were right next to Blaine's elbow and just out of his reach. He was debating what the best course of action was. Was it worth asking for them? Would Blaine even respond if he did? He didn't want to cause a scene, so he looked to Finn. Finn could easily grab them. Not as easily as Blaine, but he could get there for sure. No, no, he couldn't be that immature.

His jaw was quivering.

"Blaine, could you pass the rolls?"

No response. Blaine didn't even look up from his plate, didn't even flinch. Everyone else at the table looked to one another for any clue as to what to do. Finn tried to reach for the rolls, but I put up a hand to stop him.

"Uh, Blaine?"

"Yes?"

He looked right at me, heard me loud and clear. I should have felt it. I was walking right into a trap.

"I believe Kurt asked you a question."

He leaned back in his chair and smiled. I'd made a huge mistake.

"Did he now? You know, I thought I heard something, but it sounded more like a cuckoo bird to me... no, wait, I've got that mixed up!"

He looked right at Kurt, that sharp smile still pinned to his face.

"Ah, that's right, it was a _cuckold_ I heard."

He laughed at his own sting.

"What was it you wanted exactly?"

Kurt's face contorted in disgust. He was absolutely livid, in utter disbelief that this was happening to him in his own house and from the person who was supposed to be there for him at all times, _al_ways.

"That's it. I'm done with this."

His voice was shaking.

"I'm not doing this anymore. I want him out of here."

He stood up and folded his arms, looking from me to Blaine and back again. Blaine's eyes were fixed back on his plate.

He'd tried. He really had. And I don't blame him for getting upset. It was his home before it was Blaine's, and I was his dad. But that wasn't how it worked.

"Kurt, that's not happening."

I could almost see the fire in his eyes. He grabbed onto the back of his chair.

"Yes, it is."

"_No, _it's _not_, Kurt. We had a deal."

Kurt had been part of the decision when Blaine moved in. _He_ was the one who said, "This is _Blaine_ we're talking about," wasn't he? But I guess it wasn't the same Blaine anymore. It was his _ex_-boyfriend, and it was the last person he ever wanted to be in a house with.

"I'm seventeen years old, Dad! Why were you even listening to me?"

His voice was so high, and his shoulders were accentuating every word he said. It was childish rage.

"I don't know what love is, and I clearly don't know who _he_ is!"

Kurt huffed, searching for more words. But when he couldn't find any and could only start blinking away tears, he stormed upstairs.

We were all silent. Carole looked like she was about to cry herself, Finn looked completely exhausted, and I'm pretty sure _I_ looked furious. Blaine looked up from his plate, and from the expressions on all of our faces, he just nodded his head a few times and stood up from the table.

I figured he was just going upstairs, but when I heard him grab his jacket and keys, I just about knocked the entire table over to go after him.

I was so angry, and I wasn't giving up. There _was_ no giving up. Too many people had given up on him, and I was not about to be to be added to that list.

I pulled open the door and ran down the walkway.

"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going?" I said, grabbing his arm a little bit harder than I had intended.

He shook away from me. Tears were already pouring down his face.

"Just stop it, okay? You don't have to keep this up anymore. I _knew_ this was going to happen. I _knew_ that all of this had to be too good to be -"

He choked and tried to take a deep breath.

"It's over!"

He raised his hands in the air and let them slap back against his legs.

"Of _course_ it's over. _He_ wants me gone, so I'm going. I'll... I'll just go back to my dad's. There's nothing for you to worry about."

He wasn't convinced of that in the slightest. He knew it'd be the worst possible thing he could ever do. But he was getting in his car, and he wasn't expecting me to stop him.

I grabbed the back of his jacket and turned him around. I towered over him, still so angry.

"Are you kidding me right now? What did I say to you just the other day? What did I promise you?"

"Oh, please, don't even -" he spat and turned away from me. I turned him back around and put my finger right in his face.

"I promised you a home here. A life, a family, no matter what. And I don't break promises."

I leaned back to get a good look at him and to stop completely terrifying him.

"So, get your ass back inside."

He was frozen.

"_Now._"

He looked at the car and at the keys in his hand. It all could have been over right there. He could have gotten in that car and driven away without another word. It really could have been over.

But it wasn't. Not yet.

He shoved his keys into my hand and started walking back to the house, but he stopped just before he got to the door.

"I want to talk to him."

I turned back around to face him. He looked so small in the dark, his face still shining with tears.

"I... I think I'm ready to talk to him, without getting angry, just _talk_ to him. If he'll let me."

I was smiling. It was huge.

We went inside, and I told Kurt, point blank, that Blaine was staying, and that he wanted to talk to him. That was how it was going to be, and there was no point in arguing it.

Blaine was sitting in the living room with Finn when Kurt and I walked downstairs. Finn stood up to leave, but I motioned for him to stay put. I'm sure it was the very last thing in the world he wanted to witness, but I needed another outsider. I needed some leverage. And I needed him to stay there to keep things from getting out of hand as well. It was like it was two against two, sort of.

Kurt sat down next to Blaine, but no one said anything, and Finn looked so uncomfortable.

I stood in front of them.

"Well, alright, Blaine, you're the one who wanted to talk. So, _talk_."

But he didn't know what to say. He didn't have anything prepared. He just wanted to try anything, really, or at the very least convince Kurt to change his mind about him staying.

"Oh, um, well..."

He was trying, at least. He wanted someone to tell him what to say. He wanted to know a way to fix things, but it'd been days of silence. He didn't feel like he even knew the person sitting next to him anymore.

I sat down in my chair.

"This is hopeless."

"_Kurt_."

Kurt swiveled in his seat to look right at Blaine.

"Can you please just say something to me? Say the first thing that comes to your mind. Just say it. Whatever it is."

There was a pause.

"You ruined my life."

Well, that was something, alright.

Kurt was trying to process the statement. He'd finally gotten Blaine to say how he was feeling, and Blaine literally said the absolute worst thing he could ever say.

At least it was a start.

"I didn't ruin your life, Blaine."

"You kissed another guy!"

"_I_ didn't -"

"You _told me_ you did, Kurt. You can't change your story now."

Kurt was looking for the right rebuttal. He was looking for something to _prove_. The best way to get his story across, the best way to change Blaine's mind.

"It doesn't change how I feel about _you_, Blaine."

"Of course it does! That's why people kiss other people, Kurt, because it means something. And for you to kiss someone else means... it means you're not in love with me anymore."

Kurt couldn't take it. To him, that was the furthest possible thing from the truth. He was still so in love with Blaine. And from all of Blaine's heartbreak, he was clearly still in love with Kurt as well.

Kurt just had to be bold.

So, he stood up and planted a kiss right on the lips of an unsuspecting Finn.

All of our mouths were agape, completely frozen in shock. I wasn't actually sure it happened at first, until...

"_Dude!_"

Finn wiped his mouth and proceeded to spit in disgust.

Kurt just looked right at Blaine.

"Did_ that _mean anything, Blaine? No, no it _didn't_. It meant absolutely nothing."

Finn actually looked kind of hurt, but he stood up to leave, too shocked to say anything.

"Well, Blaine?"

Blaine was too stunned to really think one way or the other.

"B- b- but... But _Finn_ isn't _gay_!"

Finn had just made his way to the stairs when both of us said at the same time:

"Wait, _Karofsky's_ _gay_?"

Finn immediately walked back to his seat.

"Okay, I've _got_ to hear this one," he said with his hands in surrender.

Kurt sighed and rubbed his forehead. It made so much sense. Why he couldn't tell anyone anything, why all of it was just one big secret. Why Karofsky threatened to kill him last year.

The pieces were actually starting to come together.

But if Karofsky was gay, then it really did make whatever was going on between him and Kurt just ten times worse. That was why Blaine was so upset. At that point, he thought it was _mutual_.

But there was so much left. Like, why _would_ Kurt kiss Karofsky? And what about Santana? And if there was really some bigger picture to it all, why hadn't it come out already?

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag," Kurt said and sat back down on the couch.

He sighed.

"Look, I need everyone to just be quiet for a few moments and let me tell this story. And Blaine, after hearing everything, if you still want to break up with me, I will accept that there's nothing left for me to do about it."

Blaine was still buzzing from that kiss. But he was just coherent enough to nod his head.

"Okay. Karofsky's gay. We just established that. And... he's been having a lot of trouble with it too. He wants to tell his parents, but he's too afraid of what they'll think, and he's certainly too scared to tell his friends. I mean, look what happened to me at that school last year. He saw it first hand... well, mainly because he was the one actually inflicting it, of course. But, he just needed someone to lean on. He needed -"

"Wait, hold on, hold on, how did you find out that Karofsky's gay?" Finn asked.

He was so into the story, practically on the edge of his seat. I was happy to see him so eager, distracted for at least a little bit from whatever was going on in his life.

Kurt and Blaine shared a quick glance. They were already coming back together.

"He kissed me," Kurt said, very quietly.

"No, we already know that. That's what all of this is about, right?"

"No, Finn, he kissed me last year. Like, right after I met Blaine. But Blaine, he... he stuck up for me, even though he didn't even know me at all really."

"That's how we became best friends."

He smiled. _Blaine_ was smiling. They were getting sucked into happy memories. I just wanted to hold on to it. Couldn't they just stay like that? We didn't even need the rest of the story!

"He told me he'd kill me if I told anyone. You know that part of the story. So, I kept his secret. And at the end of last year, we sort of became friends actually. But we didn't talk at all over the summer and just randomly one day, he asked me if I'd get lunch with him. And, you know, I didn't see any harm in it. Well, we started talking a lot. Texting, going out. I just didn't see it as a big thing. I was trying to help him come out. I was trying to be for Dave what you were for me, Blaine. And I should have told you. I should have told you everything, but he wanted me to keep it a secret until he was _really_ ready to make a statement about it. I needed him to trust me if he was ever going to get any help."

Blaine was trying so hard to believe it, to really get on board with it. But it was still like _Karofsky_ trusting him meant more to Kurt than _Blaine_ trusting him. I could see it in his face. His guard was still up.

And there still wasn't an apology anywhere in there. Or an explanation for the kiss for that matter.

"This happened for about a month or so. And then one day... he asked if he could kiss me, like for real. He just wanted to know what it felt like."

I groaned. It was all rushing downhill so quickly. I didn't want to watch anymore.

"But I _didn't._"

_He didn't?_

"You... didn't?" Blaine.

"No," Kurt said very firmly, "I did not. Until... the Halloween party. He was so drunk, and he saw me and pulled me aside. He... he told me he was in love with me. And the reason that everyone was so hard on Blaine the first few days back at school was because he'd told them to be, because he was jealous."

Blaine closed his eyes, trying to imagine all of it, trying to just believe it.

"He kissed me right there, and I... I didn't know how to stop him! I didn't do anything at all. He had literally just professed his love for me. What was I supposed to do? I didn't handle it well. He told me that I should break up with Blaine to be with him, and I told him very clearly that that was never going to happen. And that's when he told me that I was a _man whore_ and left."

Kurt took a deep breath.

"I felt so bad. About the kiss and that he couldn't trust me anymore... I had Blaine when I needed him, but then he had _no one_. I started crying, and Santana found me."

Finally.

"I told her that I kissed him, because I was feeling so terrible, and I was so out of it, and I just didn't phrase it right, but she left before I could explain anything else. But, I mean, she already knew that Dave's gay."

"Hold on, she _knew_ and they dated?"

Kurt and Blaine both looked at Finn as if he was the most clueless person in the world. I thought it was a valid question.

"Really, Finn?"

"What? What am I missing here?"

"It's called _beards_, Finn. Look it up."

Things were really starting to make sense. That's why she was the only one who would talk to Blaine. She knew the "Kurt kissed Karofsky," side of the story, the Blaine side of the story. But she couldn't tell anyone else, because if she told people about Karofsky, it was the same thing as telling people about her.

And she wasn't ready for that.

"Anyways, she went to grill him for more information, and it was _you_ who pulled her off of him, right, Finn?"

"Yeah, that was me."

"Well, _thank you_ for that."

Finn nodded for Kurt to continue with the story.

"Well, then, Blaine drove us home, and I was still so upset. And when we finally talked that night, I tried to tell you everything, but I was so flustered, and I was feeling guilty, like maybe it really was all of my fault. Like, I shouldn't have led him on. I fell in love with you because of everything you did for me when we were just friends. It started making sense, and I just felt like it was right for you to hate me. I didn't deserve you anymore. So, I told you what happened, and I think everyone knows what's happened from then until now."

It was so much. It was so crazy. But it was genuinely the best possible thing that could come from all of it. Kurt hadn't kissed Karofsky. Kurt hadn't cheated on Blaine. He was just upset and confused and it was all just one big misunderstanding.

Kurt turned to look right at Blaine.

"I never meant for any of it to happen. I didn't mean for him to think of us as more than just friends. I didn't mean for him to try to break us up. And I didn't mean for him to kiss me. I just wanted to help him. That was it. That was my only intention."

I couldn't read Blaine's face. But I knew that he wasn't necessarily happy.

"Kurt -"

"No, please, just listen to me. I'm telling you the truth. I'm right here next to you, telling you every single thing that happened. And I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'm so sorry that this got so out of hand. You know I am. You know how sorry I am about all of this. This was never supposed to happen."

He was crying. They both were.

"This is you and me we're talking about. We have plans for college, for a future, Blaine."

Finn shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"_We_ are bigger than Ohio. You know we are."

They were holding hands, but Blaine still wasn't quite looking at Kurt. He wanted to, but he was still working it all out. It was such a heavy load.

"I love you, Blaine. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else. I've given more of myself to you than I ever thought I would give anyone, and I genuinely do not know if I can survive if you decide to throw away that part of me, that part of us."

Blaine was still silent.

"I don't know how to do this without you. I _can't_ do this without you. I would never do anything to hurt you. I love you so much, and -"

Blaine reached into the pocket of his jacket to remove some kind of red fabric.

The Robin mask.

It meant more to them than I could ever understand.

He held it out for Kurt to take, and a huge smile burst across Kurt's face, followed by even more tears.

Blaine immediately leaned forward, and the two of them were locked in the most beautiful kiss I'd ever seen.

There was nothing for me to do but laugh. I couldn't believe it. I was literally in complete disbelief. But I was so happy.

Finn looked to me, trying not to stare at them kissing, and just shrugged, almost looking even more confused than when we all started, but satisfied. He stood up, patted Kurt on the back, who certainly did not stop kissing Blaine for _Finn_, and limped his way up the stairs.

I was left there with the two of them, and it was awkward.

"_Guys._"

They snapped out of it with embarrassed smiles, but they couldn't stop looking at each other. They were just so happy.

I stood up.

"You've got twenty minutes to, uh... make up, alright?"

They laughed, and I walked upstairs, knowing that I was easily ten times happier than they were. I had my house back. I had my boys back. And more importantly, my boys had each other back.

It was a good night.

* * *

><p>Thank you so much for reading, and let me know what you thought of this huge cliffhanger ender! :)<p> 


	17. The Overdue

OH MY GOODNESS! I am so overwhelmingly thrilled by all of the incredible and numerous reviews for the last chapter! I am glad we are all on the same page in being so happy that those two are back together. I do not think I could have handled that much longer myself... it is much too sad to keep them apart. So, THANK YOU for EVERYTHING! You are all fabulous, fabulous, fabulous, I cannot say it enough! :)

Now, onto the last of the cliffhangers (although, in a way, there are a few more introduced in this chapter)...

Yes, it is time for the Finn side of it all! Writing this chapter really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I think the producers of the show should really address. I feel like so much of season one was about (or at least intended to be about) how Mr. Schuester became something of a surrogate father for Finn. Then, in season two, Burt became Finn's stepfather, and suddenly the issue was irrelevant. I would so love to see that storyline get picked up again and actually create some kind of legitimate relationship between Burt and Finn.

Also, if I ever write a story after this one (as in, a story completely free from this verse), it'll be a Finn one for sure. I just loved writing his dialogue so much more than I had expected to, and pretty much, he just rocks.

Side note: Keep your eyes open for blood imagery, ladies and gentlemen! Somehow, it is literally all over the place in this chapter!

Finally, how weird is it that Blaine legitimately does not have a single line of dialogue in this chapter? I know, right? I promise we'll be getting back to the core Burt and Blaine relationship of this story very soon, but I just felt like Finn deserved his due diligence.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Things were great again.<p>

Kurt and Blaine were back together and happier than ever. They were smiling, holding hands and chasing each other around the house all the time, and there were so many times that I had to break them apart on the couch or pry them from each other's rooms that I actually lost count.

But every time it happened, I got a little bit happier.

We all did, really. Everyone just seemed to be in a better mood after the two of them got back together.

Well, except for Finn.

After about a week of walking in on them making out wherever he went, it started to take a bit of a toll on him.

I could tell how agitated he'd get when he would have just asked to join me to watch a game on television only for Kurt and Blaine to decide that they'd like to watch too, but with Kurt in Blaine's lap talking animatedly about things that were completely irrelevant to the game.

Or when they'd take a half hour longer in the mornings to get ready for school because they were perfecting each other's outfits and make him late for his morning workouts and sufficiently ruin the rest of his day.

Or when he failed a math test because Kurt and Blaine kept him busy long into the night before singing karaoke. Although I highly doubt he didn't hate at least _some_ of that.

Finn would force a smile and keep his thoughts to himself but I knew that with every time something like that happened, he'd crawl a little bit further back into his shell.

I never thought those things were a particularly big deal and were certainly preferable to how everything had been before. I loved seeing the two of them so happy, and at first I really didn't understand what Finn's issue was exactly.

I thought that maybe it had something to do with the fact that Rachel hadn't really been around the house in awhile, that maybe Finn was just sort of getting jealous of their relationship. But I never thought to ask him about it.

It wasn't until about two weeks after they got back together that Finn finally got some of his real feelings out.

I was sitting in the kitchen when Kurt and Blaine came home from glee club practice.

I noticed that Kurt had a bandaid on the corner of his eye. He didn't seem to be particularly upset or anything, there was just a bandaid on his face. It really didn't look bad either... but I don't deal with my kids getting hurt very well, regardless of how big or small.

They walked into the kitchen, and when I saw that bandaid, well, I might have acted a little bit too rashly.

Kurt told me that Karofsky had pushed him after seeing him and Blaine holding hands in the hallway just one too many times. Karofsky got him alone, and Kurt fell right onto the corner of an open locker. Apparently it got him just right and was bleeding like crazy.

But Kurt didn't really seem to care about it.

He and Blaine had just situated themselves behind the counter, popping grapes into their mouths like it was a perfectly non-violent day at school.

"He's just jealous, Dad. And I've done everything I can to reach out to him again. Even Blaine has!"

Blaine nodded his head in agreement.

"But he won't listen. And, you know what? If he's going to start acting like this again, I feel sorry for him. I really do. He'll come around eventually, I suppose, but for now I guess I just need to accept that these things are going to happen. There's nothing I can do about it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This Karofsky kid becomes public enemy number one _again_, and Kurt's acting like there's absolutely nothing in the world that he can do to stop him.

There were plenty of things to do. I could think of about a hundred ways I'd have liked to kick his ass myself. Or at the very least get his father involved in what was going on. Couldn't this guy just be expelled? I mean, really... how many times was I supposed to deal with him hurting my kid before he actually got into some kind of trouble for it?

"There's _nothing you can do_, Kurt?"

I could feel my blood pressure rising. My face was getting hot, and I really just wanted to hit something.

"That is _not_ how this works. And _you_ do not have to put up with him pushing you around!"

I could see in Kurt's face that he didn't really understand why I was having such a problem with it.

"You don't deserve to be treated like that, and, quite frankly, I'm not going to stand for it, Kurt. No, you know what? Something's got to be done about that guy, once and for all. I know you feel bad for him, and he's going through a tough time right now, but he does _not _get to take this out on you, do you hear me?"

My blood was boiling.

And that's when Finn walked in.

I immediately turned to him, throwing all of my anger his way. He already looked upset, like he'd just had a bad day and plenty of pent up anger on his own. It was a lethal combination, really, and looking back on it, I can't believe how easy it would have been to avoid everything that followed.

But I was too angry. And so was he.

I knew they'd all come home together, but somehow he'd only come inside ten minutes after the other two.

"Where've you been?"

I was immediately accusing him, and he was already so pissed.

"I was on the phone," he said through gritted teeth.

I was angry. I was irrational. I wasn't thinking.

"And where the hell were you for _this_, huh?" I said, pointing at Kurt.

Finn looked right at me, in complete disbelief that I would actually have the audacity to blame _him_ for what had happened to Kurt that day.

"_What?_"

"I said -"

"No, I heard what you said. I just don't think I fully understand the question, because the last time I checked, it wasn't _my_ job to fight his battles for him."

It was the most honest thing I'd heard from him in weeks.

I should have known that it was time to back off, but I was too angry and too incoherent to think straight. I couldn't be reasonable, and he had every right to be even less reasonable than I was.

"Hey, we made a deal that -"

"That I'm supposed to look out for him, right? You know, you say that a lot, but I don't think you really _get_ what it means exactly. You want me to drop everything in my life, everything that might be bothering _me_ to make sure that _he_ doesn't get his precious feelings hurt? Have you ever noticed that this little _deal_ isn't exactly _mutual_? That you have never _once_ asked him to do a single thing that might help _me_ out? And, even more... when are you gonna realize that just because everything else in this house revolves around the two of them being perfectly happy and included all the time doesn't mean that _my_ life does?"

No, I really hadn't ever thought of those things. More often than not, I thought of Finn as the guy he always wanted people to think of him as, the big guy who everyone looked up to and was a natural born leader. With Kurt and Blaine always needing me to pay particular attention to them, it was tough to remember who Finn really was, just a guy without a father who needed me to pay just as much attention to the things going on in his life.

It was always just easier to, and I know how terrible this is, ignore the Finn that was coming out right then and just enjoy the Finn who played video games and football and made people laugh with the stupid things he said.

That's when I should have realized just how much I took him for granted. But it wasn't.

I was still too mad.

"Hey, you are _completely_ out of line, Finn. And you _don't_ get to talk to me like that, you got that? You are his brother, and you look out for him. _That_ is how this works."

He laughed in outrage, sarcasm licking every syllable of the words coming out of his mouth.

"Oh, that's how this works, huh? That's how being his brother _works? _Oh, and _I'm_ the one who's out of line? You know, if you're asking me, I'd say these two crossed right on over that line last week, didn't you, guys?"

I looked to Kurt and Blaine. All of the color had left Kurt's face, and Blaine was slowly shaking his head, almost begging Finn not to say what he knew was coming.

But it was to no avail.

"I bet you had no idea that they're having sex now. Oh yeah, _lots_ of it. _In _this house when you're not around to hear it. And just so you know... _Blaine's a screamer_."

Blaine's mouth was slightly agape and his entire face was flushed, while Kurt had one of his more murderous looks.

"Oh, _oops_... that was my bad, guys, _really_."

He smiled again and got right in my face.

"Was _that_ out of line enough for you?"

I was furious. It was like a beast was gnawing at my insides, wanting so much to just rip him a new one right there.

Now, I would never hurt a single hair on one of my boys' heads. I love them more than I can even compose, but it's like they know exactly what to say to make me completely livid.

And it was even worse with Finn. Because he was big guy, a tough guy, and he spent most of his time beating the crap out of guys even bigger than him. Finn had a threatening presence, and even though he was usually something of a giant teddy bear, he was more like a grizzly when he got angry.

And if I was going to win an argument with him, I had to be something even scarier than he was.

I made a move toward him, and I'm not sure what it was in my face or the action, but he immediately flinched backward and something like regret flooded his face.

He looked down at his shoes and pushed past me and out of the kitchen.

I was locked on the spot, still standing in a room with my son and his boyfriend, who I'd just found out were having sex in my house.

No one said a word until we heard Finn's door slam shut.

"Dad?"

I couldn't even look at them.

"_Upstairs._"

They scurried out of the room, and my mind was immediately jumbled with so many thoughts.

Finn was at the forefront, but at the same time I couldn't help but wonder if I'd scarred Blaine for life with that jolt. And I couldn't stop thinking about how Kurt had completely gone behind my back with Blaine. And were they even being safe? And they were doing it with _Finn_ home?

Finn.

I knew that there was so much more going on with him than what had just happened. I'd seen it in his face when he'd come in, but I had completely ignored it. It was then that I started to realize _just how much_ I'd ignored him over the last few weeks.

I spent the rest of that night trying to think through every little thing he'd tried to tell me, every moment that might give me some little clue as to what I was supposed to do.

I didn't see Finn until the next day, but I did have a chat with Carole as we were getting ready for bed. And she was _not_ happy.

"You really freaked him out today, you know. He'll barely even talk to me now!"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me."

She knew I was being sincere, but it wasn't good enough.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

She paused, and I knew she was right. I was already trying to figure out how I'd get him to talk to me the next day.

"He really needs you, Burt. And I know you don't think of him as someone who would, but this time... everything he's going through just really isn't _mom_ stuff, you know?"

I did know, and I figured that just about _everything_ Finn ever went through was never really mom stuff. He'd already gone through seventeen years of telling Carole things that she couldn't really understand. And just when he thought things had changed...

"Kurt and Blaine are happy right now. _Finn_ isn't. You just need to change gears a bit and have a conversation. He _wants_ to talk to you. And you owe him that much."

I owed him a lot more than that, but a conversation would have to be a good start.

I got my chance the next day when I got a call from Figgins while I was at work.

"He _what_? ... I thought that he- ... No, no, I'll be right there."

I got someone to cover for me and drove down to McKinley. It was the first time I'd ever been called into a meeting with the principal for Finn. The only words I really heard on the phone were "fight" and "hockey." I really had no idea what was going on, but I knew that he was still in the dog house for the fight he'd started for Kurt earlier in the year.

And as a result, all I could think of during the entire drive was that Finn was going to get kicked off of the football team and it would be all my fault.

I pressed down on the gas a little bit harder.

Once I got there, I realized that regardless of who had started the fight, Finn had lost it. He was in Principal Figgins's office with Will, holding up gobs of scarlet soaked tissues to his nose. By the time I got a better look at him, I could see the dried blood all over his face and hands and a stain on his t-shirt that I'd have to enlist Kurt's help to remove.

Finn wouldn't even look at me. He was embarrassed and irritated and probably worried about the sheer amount of blood that wouldn't quite stop pouring from his nose.

But I didn't realize just how bad all of it was until Figgins started explaining it to me.

Apparently some of the hockey players had decided that the best way to get back on top at the school would be to mess with the quarterback's head right before a big game. They figured they could provoke him to hit one of them and get him kicked off of the team. But, instead, he took it like a champ and when he tried to get away from them, one of the guys just punched him right in the nose.

No real reason for any of it, just greed and guys doing the insane things that they do.

It wasn't his fault, and I'd be damned if they pinned it on him.

"Hold on, though, he's not getting kicked off the team, right?"

It was what we were all wondering, and I figured that by the lack of Coach Beiste in the room, the issue had been settled.

"No, no, he can stay on the team. I do not believe that it was his fault," Principal Figgins said.

"Well, hey, that's good, right?"

I looked to Finn who had plastered on a fake smile. I could tell that Will knew a lot more about it than I did, and I was actually jealous of the guy in that moment.

"And what about the guys who did this? What's gonna happen to them?"

"You can rest assured, Mr. Hummel, that they will be dealt with appropriately."

Other than the copious amount of blood, I couldn't really see a downside to the whole thing. I took a huge sigh of relief.

But there was still something huge bothering Finn, something he wasn't saying.

"Burt, maybe you should also take him to a doctor?" Will suggested.

"Oh, yeah, of course. Yeah, we'll go right now."

I stood up to leave, but instead of Finn following me, he walked over to Will.

"Mr. Schue?"

Those were the first words I'd heard him say since our altercation in the kitchen. I felt like I was making progress somehow.

Finn reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys.

"Give these to Kurt for me?"

The keys exchanged hands, bloody to clean, and it finally dawned on me just how much Finn really did care about my son. It hit me just how many little things he did for Kurt and Blaine that I had never really recognized before then.

He had been forced into a new brotherhood, a huge new responsibility, and I had never _really _thanked him for all of the "Kurt" things he put up with with such a good attitude. And even more, once Blaine came into the picture, his role as a brother had doubled without him having any kind of say in the matter.

They were things that I had never really thought of, because they were things that_ I_ loved, because he was my son and because I'd loved those things all of my life. But they weren't things _Finn_ loved, or things _Finn_ was used to all the time. But after Carole and I got married, he didn't really have a choice in the matter. I'd thrust the role of big brother on him with so many expectations that he couldn't have ever kept them all straight.

But he had succeeded in looking out for Kurt. And I had failed in looking out for him.

I'd never felt so guilty.

"And Finn?"

Finn snapped his head to look back at Will.

"Promise me you won't give up?"

_Was I supposed to know what that meant?_

Finn sort of rolled his eyes but still nodded his head. I was curious and actually sort of thankful for an immediate conversation starter once I could get Finn into an enclosed space where he'd really have no choice but to talk to me.

I thanked both of them and once we got down the hall I took a look at Finn's nose myself.

We were stolidly ignoring everything that had happened the day before, at least for the time being.

"Hmph."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Well, it's stopped bleeding. That _is _good, at least. But just from the swelling, I'd say it's broken."

He laughed.

"I guess I know how Rachel must have felt now."

And that's when I realized just how messed up that kid really was. I told him his nose was broken, and he was still trying to crack a joke, still trying to divert the attention away from himself and please me.

I started to feel sick.

I sent him to the bathroom to wash off his face and went to warm up the car and call Mike to prep him for yet another surrogate son with an injury that had resulted from physical violence. We were so crazy.

I wasn't really sure how to start that conversation, and I got lucky that Finn actually broke the ice for me.

"I'm really sorry about dragging you away from work. I thought my mom was going to come."

It was something at least.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. And your mom's got a busy week with the new promotion and everything."

I paused.

"Besides, I wanted to talk to you."

He looked terrified at the notion.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do. This shouldn't've happened to you, Finn. And we're going to fix this, alright?"

It was something he needed to hear to get him to really dive into a real conversation.

"Thanks."

He smiled, and I went for it.

"Say, uh, you wanna tell me what that was about not giving up earlier?"

He looked uncomfortable. He _wanted_ to talk about it so badly, I could tell, but he didn't want to let his guard down. He didn't want to seem whiny or selfish or whatever other insane thing was going through his head.

He didn't want to look like any less of a man.

"It's nothing."

_Bullshit._

"It's not nothing, Finn. And I'd really like to hear about it, if you'll tell me."

It struck the perfect chord with him. And if he'd been Kurt or Blaine, he would have broke down into tears right then. I was actually beyond happy that he wasn't Kurt or Blaine, because after days of nothing but crying from both of them, I needed a little bit of a break.

Finn just wanted to talk to me.

"I haven't gotten any college offers."

It was so simple and so complicated at the same time.

"I've applied, and scouts have been at the games, but no one's biting. And _Puck_ got a scholarship a few weeks ago, and so did Sam during the game that I was benched for my ankle. But time's running out, and I can't stop thinking that it's just never gonna happen."

He so needed it to happen.

"We've only got a few more games before the state championship, if we even _get_ to the state championship, that is, and nothing is happening. The whole point of playing football my entire life was to make it easier for my mom to send me to college, but there's just nothing, you know?"

I did know. He took a deep breath.

"And then Rachel is practically even more upset about it than I am, because there's no way I can get into a school anywhere even close to New York City without football, so she doesn't see any reason to stay together anymore if we're not going to be together in college. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do or how I'm supposed to play harder to get someone to notice me."

To get someone to notice him. That was all he wanted.

For a college scout to pick him, for Rachel to be his girlfriend regardless of what school he went to, and for me to stop kicking his ass long enough to have a conversation with him.

I have no idea how he had kept all of it to himself for so long. Or how he had kept a smile on his face through everything that was going on with Kurt and Blaine. Or how he hadn't blown up at me so much sooner.

And it made sense why he wasn't happy about Kurt and Blaine crashing the football game. He wanted to talk to me about it then, alone. Sitting with me, watching a game, it was the perfect segue, really.

And why he was angry about being late for his workouts and had pushed himself so hard that he actually sprained his ankle during practice.

And why he was so pissed after just getting off the phone. He'd been rejected. Again.

I couldn't believe that I had let it fester for so long rather than try to help him _games_ ago when he really needed me.

Football is more of a mental sport than a physical one for a guy like Finn. And when you've got so much pressure built up, you can't focus on being your best.

"It'll happen, Finn. You're too good of a player for a school to not want you. These last few games will be your best, you'll see. When are they? Can I come see you play, maybe find those scouts and give them a piece of my mind?"

He laughed.

"Yeah. Yeah, you can come. The calendar's on the fridge."

The calendar was on the fridge, and I had missed every game of the season. I was officially in the running for Worst Father of the Year.

It was time for me to step up and be a man.

"Hey, Finn, you know, with all of this stuff with Kurt and Blaine, I've been so -"

"No, you haven't. Look, I know how important Kurt is to you. I know that he comes first before anything. I get that. I understand that _he's _your son, and I'm not trying to compete with him or anything. But you know, sometimes I just miss the days when you'd take me to games or we'd just hang out, just the two of us."

It really had been a long time since we'd done that without any provocation. He had been thinking about all of this for so long, I could tell. He was even worse than Kurt and Blaine when it came to holding in all of his feelings. I had no idea just how long all of it had been eating him alive. Too long, without a doubt.

"Do you remember when we went to see the Reds play? And I caught that ball?"

Of course I remembered. He caught the ball, and it won him tickets to a monster truck rally. But we didn't go, because Kurt was so afraid he was being replaced. Kurt had really needed me that day, and Finn and I had never talked about it again.

"That was one of the best days of my life. Seriously, it was. I don't know, I guess I've just never had a guy really listen to what I had to say and actually seem interested in me... or proud of me, you know?"

I was about to cry myself. I'd screwed up so badly.

"I guess I just thought that after you and my mom got married, I don't know, that things would maybe go back to that? But recently, I mean, it's just been the Kurt and Blaine show all the time."

He had a point. I couldn't remember the last time anyone was focused on a _Finn_ crisis. The last few months had been almost exclusively devoted to either Kurt or Blaine.

"Whenever I try to talk to you, you just get mad at me, and I don't know what it is I've done wrong exactly. I feel like I'm just trying to tell you what's going on in my life like Kurt and Blaine do, but you shrug me off like it isn't important."

I'd made him feel like the least important person in my life. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. And my heart was only sinking even further through my stomach.

"You let them yell at you and knock over furniture and stuff, but I can't even manage to get a word in, and I've been wracking my brain for weeks now trying to figure out what it is you want exactly or what the difference is between me and them. And when I couldn't figure it out, I just tried to pretend like nothing was wrong and make things easier for everyone. But apparently that didn't work either, because even when I thought I was doing everything to help the two of them with all of their stuff, nothing changed. And, look, I'm really, really sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have said that stuff, and you were right, I was out of line."

All he wanted was a conversation. All he wanted was a little bit of recognition for being a great kid, something everything wanted and deserved but that I had put so much effort into giving to Kurt and Blaine that I had almost entirely pushed him to the side.

It was my turn to talk.

"No, no, you weren't, actually. I was. I shoulda seen this a long time ago. I screwed up, Finn, and I'm the one who's sorry. You deserve a lot better than what I've been giving you, and it's not fair. It's not fair at all. And it's not going to happen again. I can promise you that right now, that I'm not going to let it happen again."

I parked outside of the doctor's office, but I kept the doors locked so that Finn knew I wasn't done.

"It's not your fault. I should have -"

"No, there's nothing that you should have done. You did everything already, Finn. You shouldn't have to do anything to get me to be your dad. I'm the one who should have done so much more a long time ago. I _want_ you to be able to tell me anything at any time and have as much time with me as you need. I _want_ to take you to games and help you work through things that bother you. I _want_ to be your dad, Finn, and I want _you_ to be my son too."

He was very quiet, and I knew that everything he'd just heard was so huge for him.

He'd been without a father for seventeen years of his life. And I was finally telling him that it was exactly what I wanted to give to him. I wanted to fill the one gaping hole in his life. I wanted to make him feel a little bit more complete, give him something of a redo on the hand he'd been dealt.

It was something I'd always wanted but had only just been able to verbalize. I just wanted him to be happy.

"Can I ask you something?"

His nose was even more purple than I remembered.

"Of course you can."

He crossed his arms, almost trying to will what he was about to say back into his mind rather than out into the open.

"Blaine told me that you offered to adopt him. He said that you had papers or something? And I mean, I know that you and my mom are married and everything, but that doesn't legally make you my dad, does it? I don't really know how it works, but I know that I didn't sign anything, and I guess I just don't understand why you never really offered that to... me."

That was the clincher.

I'd genuinely never thought about it before. I guess I just figured with Finn being so old and having his mom, there was just no point in dealing with the legal stuff.

Except that Finn was sitting right next to me, completely lost as to why _he_ hadn't been asked to be my son when I'd had no trouble asking _Blaine_.

I almost couldn't believe how blind I'd been. I looked right at him and smiled.

"You want me to adopt you, Finn?"

He looked a little bit more relieved, and his shoulders relaxed just a bit. He let out a breath.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I'd like that."

I laughed, clapped him on the knee, and unlocked the doors.

He was going to be my son, and I could not have been more honored.

It was that simple.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading the second longest chapter thus far, and send me a review if you get the chance! :)<p> 


	18. The Kicker

You guys NEVER cease to blow me away! I am literally stuck in an exponentially growing state of amazement right now! More than 400 reviews? Never, ever in my wildest dreams did I think I'd hear so many gorgeous, beautiful, fantastic, outstanding, and just plain nice things from so many of you incredible people. You will always be awesome for every single thing that you are, and I wish I could think of another way to thank you even more! (If you think of it - let me know!)

I'm very excited about this chapter for a few reasons, but the main one is that this is the first sort of "return to normal" chapter. We've been on a full-blown roller coaster ride with the last three or four chapters, and I have loved every single moment of them, but this chapter has been a nice homecoming in a way! So, even though it certainly sets up a few future things, I wouldn't necessarily call them cliffhangers, and I just hope you all like this one!

I'm not completely sure if I'll be able to post a new chapter before the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pt. two premiere, although I hope to! So, to anyone who is looking forward to seeing the film, I hope it finds you well and is more sweet than bitter. I just finished my costume, and let me just say... I'm stoked! But also sad. So many conflicting emotions!

But... now it is story time!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>I almost forgot about my wedding anniversary.<p>

It had nothing to do with it not being special or anything like that, because it was one of the most special days of my life, without a doubt. But, with two boys having sex in my house and another drowning in the prospects of his future, well... I didn't really have time to think about myself.

It was actually _Kurt_ who reminded me.

Of course, it was more of a tactic to divert the attention from the real subject at hand, but he'd definitely done the leg work nonetheless.

"Picture this: dinner à la Kurt, something not too extravagant but still _very_ romantic, and then _candles_ all over the house. And it will just be you and Carole, because Blaine and I are going to Rachel's. Apparently her dads want to talk to us, and Finn's going to Puck's. So, you two will have the entire house to yourself, all night."

Yeah, he was ripe and ready for a distraction.

"Kurt?"

"Yes, Dad?"

There was no ignoring it. Yeah, Finn had dropped a bomb, and even though it wasn't really his place to do it, there was no ignoring the fact that I knew and that it was time for my son and I to have a serious conversation about it.

He looked so innocent with his dry erase board of plans, complete with marker in hand. He had set up the presentation for me in the kitchen, late into the night.

I motioned for him to sit down in the seat across from me.

He did so, but very hesitantly. He knew exactly what was coming, and it was literally the last conversation anyone ever on all of planet Earth wanted to have.

"Okay, you and I both know we need to talk about this."

He pursed his lips.

"Do we, though?"

I stiffened my gaze.

"Yes, we most certainly do."

He sighed.

"Okay, well, before you say anything... we were safe, it won't happen again, and I'm sorry. Like, really, _really_ sorry."

He held his breath.

"Can't we just move on?"

Granted, the kid did say every single thing that was going through my head. Of course he just knew me so well that he had undoubtedly planned to say all of those things the night before in hopes that it'd make everything fine again.

I couldn't blame him for trying.

"We could if you weren't lying to me."

He put on his outraged face.

"I'm not stupid, Kurt. It'll happen again. We've talked about this. You're two guys, and _two guys_ -"

"I don't think we need to talk about that part again," he said very quickly.

I smiled.

"No, I'd rather not either."

He just wanted it to be over. And so did I. Granted, I really wished it had never even happened in the first place so we didn't even need to _have_ that conversation.

"You were safe?"

"Of course we were."

_We_. It was a _we_ thing. It was _both_ of them. Under _one_ roof. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

Nope, that never got easier.

"And did you actually _know_ Finn was in the house?"

He groaned in disgust.

"_Dad!_"

"It's a valid question, Kurt!"

"No, _no_, we did not know that Finn was in the house until... until it was too late. And it was only one time."

Implying that it had happened more than once already.

I have absolutely no idea how I kept my cool for that conversation. But I knew that yelling at him would do absolutely nothing other than have him completely lose his trust in me. He had to know that even though I wasn't happy with the whole situation, I wasn't mad at him.

Teenagers have sex. And if you tell them they can't, they just have more sex behind your back and in places that really shouldn't even exist.

So, there was only one option.

"Kurt, I don't like this. I know that _you know_ that I don't like this."

He was bracing himself.

"But... I understand it. And even though I wish that maybe you'd waited a little bit longer, well, there's nothing I can do about it now. And as long as you're safe, and you love him, well, I guess that's all I can really ask for."

I paused.

"You do love him, right?"

A weight was lifted from Kurt's chest, and he actually laughed.

"Really, Dad?"

"Kurt, this is a big deal!"

"I love him fully and unconditionally," he said very seriously but also with one of the happiest smiles I'd ever seen on him.

At least he was happy.

"And he didn't pressure you into it or anything, did he?"

"Of course not. He was the perfect gentleman. And, I mean, before the breakup... well, we were, I guess we were _close_, you'd say. But we just talked about it, and -"

I waved my hands in surrender. It was his best tactic yet.

"Okay, alright, no more, please, seriously."

He laughed and stood up to leave.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Kurt."

He grabbed his dry erase board and walked upstairs.

No, I wasn't happy with it. Not one bit. But I wasn't angry at either of them. Teenagers are teenagers, end of story. It happens. And, sure, it was certainly significantly more complicated with the two of them living in the same house, but there were rules already and they were responsible guys.

In reality, I just thought it'd be easier to forget it was happening. As long as I trusted them, I would always prefer for them to be in the house than at some sleazy motel or something.

But there was still the Blaine of it all.

Kurt was one conversation, but Blaine was another entirely. I had absolutely no clue how to start it, what I was supposed to say, or even how to say it. Asking Blaine the same questions that I'd already asked Kurt would only be counterproductive. I needed some kind of leverage.

And I remembered it as I was opening his bedroom door that next day.

"So, uh... screamer, huh?"

His head snapped up, just noticing I was there.

I could tell that he was positively mortified. But _he_ couldn't tell if I was joking or furious.

"Oh my God. I never - _we_ never - it wasn't supposed to be - and _Finn_ - no, that wasn't... Look, I'm sorry, really, _so_ sorry - I still can't believe - God... seriously, it - I don't..."

He took a deep breath and looked right at me.

"Were you ever going to stop me there?"

"I figured it'd be more fun to watch you struggle for a minute."

He smiled painfully.

"I deserved that."

I nodded, but stayed silent. I still hadn't really worked out how I was going to talk to this kid. I was good at talking to Blaine. We'd grown a lot since the first time he came into my shop, but dammit, there are some things you can never prepare yourself for.

And talking to your son's boyfriend who's kind of become like your own son too about his current sex life _with_ your son... yeah, that was one of those things.

I sat down at his desk and watched the tension build in his chest.

"Can I just say that I'm sorry... again? I never in a million years want to do something that would disappoint you or -"

"I'm not disappointed, Blaine."

He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"I'm pretty pissed, but I know that it was a whole lot bigger than you and me."

He still didn't really get it.

"So... we're okay?"

That was a fairly loaded question, but I knew the answer immediately.

"We're okay if you can promise me a few things."

He was suddenly very alert and sat up even straighter in his bed, practically ready to start taking notes.

"Of course, anything."

I took a deep breath.

"First, you don't get to lie to me."

He nodded sharply, and I could tell the thoughts in his head were already beating the crap out of whatever had controlled not telling me in the first place.

"It's happening. That's how it's gonna be, and I get that. I don't like it, but I get it. And if I ask you a question, you tell me the truth, no matter what, alright?"

He was very sincere.

"I would never lie to you."

I smiled. Always a good thing to hear.

"Next, you keep up with everything else you're supposed to be doing. You don't break curfew, you keep your grades up, you know... _I_ know how this kinda stuff can completely take over your whole life, and that doesn't get to happen here."

He nodded again, looking like he'd never really considered that aspect of it but respected it nonetheless.

"Alright, now, you _don't_ get Finn into this. That's not fair to him, not fair to anyone."

He was very quick.

"No, that was never supposed to happen, honestly. We had no idea that -"

"Ah, ah, yeah, I know. I know you didn't. But it doesn't happen again, okay?"

"It doesn't happen again," he reiterated.

And that's when I got very serious. Not that the earlier points _weren't_ serious, but there was simply nothing more important than what I was about to say.

"And, kid?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't get to break my son's heart, you got that? And that's not a request. That's an order."

I knew that he was a teenager, and I knew that scientifically he couldn't even make a real decision of that caliber at that time, but I'd seen what it'd done to both of them when they broke up the first time, and now... well, now they were having sex.

It was a whole new level of their relationship, which meant it'd be a whole new level of heartbreak if it ever happened again.

And I refused to let it.

"I can swear to you, sir, that I will never break his heart."

He really meant it. I know he did.

"Respect him, keep him happy, take him on fancy dates, you know."

He smiled.

"Treat him like a... like a princess."

That was the first time I had ever referred to my son as a princess. Sure never thought I'd say that the first time I held him in my arms, but I was smiling.

"Kate Middleton it is."

I laughed.

"He'll love that."

I stood up to leave, but he wasn't done.

"Um, Burt? Could I ask you one more thing?"

I was at the door but turned back around to face him. He looked very concerned.

"Yeah, sure."

"Well... I don't really know how to put this, but I guess, how are you... how are you so _calm_ about all of this? I mean, I can't even imagine what my father would have done to me if he found out about any of it."

I genuinely wondered if he'd been slowly getting more and more terrified about what I was going to do to him since I found out.

But I was more concerned with the fact that he still hadn't completely separated me from the memory of his father. It was like he was still wondering why I hadn't beaten the crap out of him yet or why I had even chosen to have a rational conversation with him when _his_ father couldn't.

He still couldn't comprehend our differences.

And the answer was so simple.

"Because I love you. And I love my son. And I want you to have... everything that's worth having."

I paused.

"And the two of you are worth having."

It felt like a moment in a movie, and I didn't want to ruin it. So, I just nodded my head and walked out the door, satisfied with how I'd handled it.

And that was pretty much the end of the subject at that time. I couldn't think of anything else to say, and, really, I was just _tired_ and ready to settle into the denial of it all.

So, over the next week or so, I focused on my wife and how much I loved her and how excited I was to spend an entire teenager-free night with her, doing whatever it was she wanted to do.

And it was only enhanced by the conversation I overheard the morning of our anniversary.

I was walking to the garage, and the boys were in the backyard. I could hear a football tossing between Finn and Blaine, and I figured that Kurt was sitting in a lawn chair watching.

Until I heard a loud _smack_ followed by Finn's laughter.

"Finn Hudson, _if_ you do that again, I _will_ tell everyone at school that you have genital herpes!"

"_Dude_, what the hell? And there's no way that even hurt!"

"Um, yes, yes, it did! And it's not like it takes much of a stretch of the imagination, Finn. Everyone already knows that you lost your virginity to _Santana._"

Finn spluttered at that comment.

"And everybody already knows that _you're_ the one who lost it to... _him_."

It made my stomach churn just hearing Finn say it out loud. I had never really thought about it like that. And I started to hate the whole thing even more.

But there was nothing I could do about it.

"Yes, that's true. Thank you for that... fantastic assessment, Finn," Blaine said and threw the ball back to him.

Finn caught it and paused.

"I would know about that by now, right?"

"About what?" Kurt asked.

"The... the gen... you know, the -"

"_Finn!_" Kurt screamed, "You do not, _I repeat_, you do not ask us questions about the healthy or unhealthy nature of your genitals!"

"Chill, bro! That's a legitimate question!"

Blaine laughed.

"You don't have genital herpes, Finn."

The ball changed hands.

"Ha! You see that, Kurt? How nice was that? Thank you, Blaine. I appreciate your honesty."

"Any time."

And that's when I finally got into my car and drove to work. I couldn't wait for a drama free, serene, and perfectly beautiful evening with my wife.

Three boys? Never heard of them.

Three boys talking about each other's sex lives? Nope, _definitely_ never heard of _them_.

It was actually a pretty good day at work. I made a good number of people happy, and all of the anticipation kept me very cheery.

Until I got in my car to head home and got a phone call from my neighbor... to tell me that my house was on fire.

I'm fairly certain that I had a panic attack right there. I drove almost twenty miles per hour over the speed limit the entire way home, and I can't even remember how many red lights I completely ignored.

Those were my boys in that house. And it was _on fire_?

There was nothing scarier in the entire world.

So, when I pulled up, I was actually a little bit surprised to see that my house looked exactly as it had when I'd left it.

Although there was a fire truck and a few police cars too and what appeared to be the scorched remains of the coffee table on the front lawn.

Kurt and Blaine were sitting on the curb with a blanket wrapped around them when I pulled up. They both immediately hid their faces as if maybe I hadn't _actually_ even showed up, like maybe they were just imagining it.

I parked the car and spotted Finn pulling at his hair, trying to recount everything that had happened to a police officer.

I ran up to him and interrupted the conversation, only to see how scared out of his mind he was.

"Finn, are you okay?"

The fear turned into confusion.

"W- what now?"

I was so taken aback. There were fire trucks and blankets and ash, and I was still kind of freaking out. I thought Finn was just scared from whatever had happened.

But that was when I realized that he was really just scared to see _me_.

"Are you okay?" I asked again, very slowly.

His shoulders relaxed, and he almost looked like he was about to cry.

He nodded.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm okay. We - we're all okay."

I clapped him on the shoulder.

"Uh, sir?"

I turned to the police officer.

"Is this your home?"

_Why did he even need to ask that? Who else's home would it be?_

"It is."

He told Finn to step aside and proceeded to tell me what happened. From the look in Finn's eyes alone, I knew he was drafting his own death warrant.

According to the police officer, Kurt's candle idea had just been put into play when Finn thought it would be a _great_ idea to teach Kurt how to throw a frisbee. In the house. With the candles.

That was all I needed to know, really, but then...

"And, how many of them actually _live_ in this house?"

"All three of them," I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"All three of them?"

"That's what I said, yeah."

"And they're all _yours_?"

I smiled.

"Yeah, they're all mine."

He looked completely stunned. They _were_ all mine, and anyone who had a problem with it could go fuck himself. It was the first time I'd really had a moment like that. It wasn't the last, but I couldn't help but feel like it was my duty to protect my guys right then, like I had to stand up and be proud, no matter what that guy had to say.

"Well... the tall one said they're _all_ seniors at McKinley."

I laughed.

"Yeah... yeah, they are."

He still wasn't completely getting it.

"And the two of _them_," he said, indicating Kurt and Blaine.

_Go ahead and say it, because I swear to God -_

"They're...?"

_Was I supposed to guess? Was this Wheel of Fortune all of a sudden?_

"What, gay? Boyfriends? Yeah, they are, and if you've got some kind of problem-"

"Hey, no, I just... how do you do it, man? I thought raising a fourteen-year-old daughter was hard, but you? You really got me beat."

He laughed.

"Look, just tell them to maybe lay off the candles and keep the sports outside? And... good luck to you."

I had almost started a fight with a guy who was just curious about us. We were a curious family. He was allowed to ask questions.

Now, the next time someone had started asking questions... well, that was a different story.

But this guy was just a police officer with a daughter who probably felt a little bit better knowing that _he_ didn't have to yell at three teenage boys that night for almost burning the house down.

And even though he was right in knowing just how much that conversation was going to suck, I didn't envy him, not for one second.

Yeah, it was tough, every single day was tough, but I love my boys, and I wouldn't give them up for anything, regardless of the fact that I had to sit them all down in a coffee table-less living room and kick their asses.

"Could you maybe just kill us as quickly as possible, please?" Finn asked.

And I think _that_ is when it all just overwhelmed me. I thought they'd all died that day. There was a huge burn mark on the carpet. My kids were having sex with _each other_. And all I wanted was to spend an evening alone with my wife.

It came so fast, really. I just started laughing, and I couldn't really stop.

All of their eyes widened.

"This can't be good," Blaine whispered.

"Um, Dad? Are you okay?"

I calmed down for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good, you know. I've got three boys here who almost burned the house down, but I'm _good_. I'm just peachy, Kurt!"

It was thick with sarcasm, but Kurt tried to ignore it.

"Okay, well, um, I would just like to say one thing, if that's okay."

I was still sort of laughing.

"Shoot."

He mustered all of his courage.

"I would just like to say that... this is _my_ fault and my fault only. Blaine and Finn had nothing to do with it, and I take all the blame."

Blaine and Finn looked even more surprised at that statement than they had at my laughter.

I think I probably did too.

Now, look, I wouldn't necessarily say that Kurt is an inherently selfish person. Yes, he knows what he wants, and, _yes_, he knows exactly what to do or say to get it.

But it was moments like that when his true self came out, when he remembered that he had screwed up, and it wasn't fair to the two people he loved so much to get thrown under the bus with him.

"No, we did have something to do with it. He was throwing the frisbee to me."

"And _I_ was the one who told him to throw it in the first place."

Except that they were brothers. And they stuck together, no matter who had thrown a football at whose head or who had refused to help who with a possible STD.

And I was damn proud of them.

"Well... then you can _all_ have a grand old time being grounded for... oh, I don't know? We'll just say the next month or... maybe _six_? And for paying for what will literally be _the_ most expensive dinner for two you can buy in Lima out of all of your allowances. _And_ a permanent ban on all candles and flying discs within a two hundred yard radius of the house!"

They had all taken to staring at their knees, except for Blaine who was surprisingly perky.

"Sounds pretty fair to me."

I was confused. It wasn't supposed to sound fair, and he was _supposed_ to be pissed. That's what happens when you ground a teenager. _It just is!_

And though the other two didn't argue with me, they looked at Blaine like he was completely delusional.

"Now, get the hell out of here. I was promised an empty house."

They all scattered, and it wasn't until I had Carole on the couch with me that night that I finally realized something I'd kind of been waiting for.

That life is _never_ not kicking you in the face. I had my gorgeous wife, and my gorgeous night out with her, but those boys would just be home the next day, and it'd all start again.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Because I love my guys, and even though they know exactly how to piss me off in ways that I could never have come up with in my wildest dreams, you've got to love them.

You ground the hell out of them for being complete dumbasses for throwing a frisbee at a candle, but you love 'em, because you just _do_, and not even being able to completely explain it just makes you love 'em even more.

You love them because they're yours no matter what, and let me tell you... that feels pretty damn good.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll send me your thoughts if you get the chance! :)<p> 


	19. The Understanding

Okay, how is it possible that you guys continue to blow my expectations for a chapter COMPLETELY out of the water with every single one? I could not be more in awe by the quality and quantity of amazing, perfect, fabulous, and incredible reviews for the last chapter. I wish I could think of another way to thank all of you who have made me smile so much that my friends are starting to get a little concerned! I seriously just want to run to a mountain top and yell a massive, "THANK YOU!" to each and every one of you. For all of you who review and also for all of you who silently read, you are awesome, and you have made this girl very, very happy. Thank you for all of the constant and sincerely outstanding support and for truly making this story everything that it is!

Next, I would just like to apologize for how long it took me to publish this chapter. I was out of town for three days and in Harry Potter mode for the rest of that time. (Let me tell you, building a massive Ford Anglia out of cardboard to wear as a part of a Whomping Willow costume is very time consuming!) Still, this is the longest gap between two chapters yet, and I just hope that you're not too mad at me and will keep reading! I promise you that there will NEVER be a break even half as long as this last one. In fact, chapters should be regularly posted every two days until the story ends. I cannot wait to share these stories with you, and I so hope that you're all still along for the ride!

This is a very unique chapter for quite a few reasons, so I am particularly anxious (and nervous!) to read what you have to say about it!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>According to Kurt, no one was ready for sectionals.<p>

"I just don't know how to get through to them, Dad! I've tried just about everything, and while, _yes_, Rachel and Finn _do_ sound great together on their number and we _are_ actually sort of dancing well in the group number, there's just no... _focus_."

I sighed.

"Buddy, I don't know if I'm really the right person to talk to about this."

I was tuning up Kurt's Navigator while he was talking to me from the front seat. If there's one thing I never understood, it's show choir. Even though it was the one thing that united all three of the boys, I could never figure out the politics and the rules and the _focus_ that was apparently so necessary.

But me telling Kurt that I might not be the right person to talk to had never stopped him before.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I didn't even used to be worried about sectionals. I didn't think I needed to be! It's _section_als! But with the metaphorical seams that hold Finn and Rachel together slowly unraveling - seriously, I think that if it wasn't for this competition, Rachel would have broken up with him already - and with the Warblers getting a new frontman who, according to all of the blogs, is rivaling on Blaine's greatness, we can't win unless we _all_ actually start putting in some effort. And as of right now, _I'm_ the only one doing that."

I was amazed by how much had been presented to me in just one statement.

Kurt was afraid of losing, Finn's relationship was unraveling, and there was no way Blaine wasn't upset about this new Warbler guy.

I suddenly had three boys with three problems that all revolved around one show choir competition... which made the fact that I didn't understand show choir even more difficult.

"Kurt, can't you just say something to Mr. Schuester? You know, that he needs to do something to get everybody ready?"

He looked at me like I was completely delusional.

"As if there's anything he can do with both Rachel and Finn completely distracted. He puts them at the heart of the performance, and then their relationship goes and just about screws everything up _again_!"

I was more upset about the fact that Kurt placed his own success in the glee club over his brother's happiness, but I also had to see it from his point of view. He wanted to win, which meant that Rachel and Finn had to be happy and together again.

Kurt was never great at verbalizing those things, but I knew that that was at least somewhere in his thought process of it all.

Or maybe _he_ just really wanted Finn and Rachel's solo to be more of a Kurt and Blaine solo.

But I decided to go with my first thought.

"Look, I'm sure Rachel wants to win just as badly as you do, right?"

He could see exactly where I was going and rolled his eyes, trying to deny that I was eventually going to make a good point.

"Yes, I'm sure she does."

I smiled.

"Then she's not gonna let you guys lose. And if _she_ won't let you lose, well, I really don't think you're going to. That girl is... well, let's just call her _determined_."

He laughed.

"That's putting it lightly. But... you're probably right. Rachel cares too much to let anything get in the way of this. Even _Finn_."

He paused, trying to decide whether or not it was worth prying to say what he was thinking.

"Have you talked to him about it, Dad? I mean, him and Rachel?"

I was a little taken aback. It wasn't necessarily a surprise that he was saying it, but I still couldn't believe that _Kurt_ might have noticed something particularly off about Finn that_ I_ hadn't.

For all I knew, nothing had changed since the time we'd talked in the car on the way to the doctor's office.

"Yeah, sort of, but I guess a lot can happen since we did. Why, should I?"

Kurt bit his bottom lip.

"I don't know. Maybe? _He_ won't talk to me about it, but Rachel has, and, well... it's not good. I have no idea how he feels, but I can say on good authority that she will break up with him within two weeks after sectionals."

He paused. That was not something I was fully prepared to hear.

"And I know that Finn does some stupid stuff sometimes, notably _Quinn_, but he really loves her this time, Dad. Like, _really_. And I don't know if any of us can handle another breakup in this house."

He was right. We _couldn't_ handle another breakup, and Finn really did love Rachel. She was a bit of a cook, but she really got to him somehow. And he was happy with her. He didn't deserve to deal with this again.

"No, no, you're right, and I'll talk to him."

Kurt nodded and started to walk back into the house.

"And, hey, thank you for... for looking out for your brother."

He smiled.

"Well, that's what brothers do, right?"

It was like a light switch had suddenly flipped on.

Everything that Finn had said about sticking up for Kurt but feeling like he'd never gotten anything in return had actually stuck with my son.

Finn wasn't just Kurt's brother. Kurt was Finn's too.

It felt like such a victory.

"Yeah, that's right."

He walked inside the house without saying another word, and I was left with my thoughts glued to finding out what I was going to say to Finn.

Rachel was already planning this breakup, and even though he did have some kind of idea that it was coming, he had no idea that it was coming quite so soon.

At that moment, I couldn't think of single more exhausting thing than a high school relationship.

But I had to do something. If _Kurt_ was telling me to do something... it was _definitely_ time to do something.

So, I took him to a game. It wasn't anything huge, but it was football. And Finn could always love football, no matter how down in the dumps he was.

He'd told me he wanted to go to one, and even though I was focused on getting a solid response from him about how he felt about this whole Rachel breakup situation, I cared more about how much the two of us spending time together meant to him.

I'd made him a promise, and I intended to keep it.

And I _did_ leave the Rachel conversation for the second half of the game.

He was the one who brought her up, actually.

He said something about something that had to do with rehearsing for sectionals... you know, show choir stuff, stuff that I had a hard time understanding. But he said that his voice cracked during their song and that she proceeded to explode and force him to do vocal warmups for the next few hours.

Apparently he had asked her out on an actual date... but she had turned it into a rehearsal instead.

If that wasn't a red flag, I couldn't think of what would be.

"_Women_, right?"

He laughed, but I wasn't buying it. He saw the signs just as clearly as I did, but I don't think he was quite ready to admit it to himself.

I wasn't really ready to make him either, but I also didn't want him to mope for an entire holiday over not being with her.

The whole thing was so unfair.

"You really like this girl, huh?"

He nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, I do... I mean, she can be a little controlling and, you know..."

"Insane?" I provided.

He laughed.

"Right, insane."

He paused.

"But Rachel... I don't know what it is about her."

He leaned forward in his seat and started wringing his hands, trying to determine if he was brave enough to say what he was thinking.

"But I think she might be the real deal, you know?"

He looked right at me, and my heart broke.

I couldn't think of a single thing to say. How do you tell a kid that the girl he's in love with is about to break it off with him over, from what I had gathered, his lack of a football scholarship?

Luckily, I didn't have to say anything just yet.

"I mean, that's probably a stupid thing to say... and she's been kinda distant recently. I'm not sure if she's just stressed about sectionals or what, but I always used to know what she was thinking. I think that was what made us great together. We just sort of _got _each other without really having to try very hard. But, I'm sure it's just a phase, right?"

I went into that game half expecting him to tell me that he knew that Rachel was about to end it. I had no idea that he was so clueless.

So, I lied to him.

"Right, yeah, I'm sure she's just stressed about sectionals, like you said, and... yeah. She'll come around."

How was I supposed to tell him the truth? Tell him that Kurt had told me that Rachel had told him that she was about to break up with him?

The confusion of even saying all of that out loud was enough to make me lie to him.

I knew it wasn't the right thing to do, but I'd panicked. There was no easy way to put it, and I didn't really think it was my place to break it to him.

He laughed.

"I know you don't really believe that, but thank you for saying it anyway."

He was one tough kid. And clearly a lot smarter than everyone thought he was.

I clapped him on the shoulder.

"I'd sure as hell _like_ to believe it, though."

He couldn't quite look at me.

"Yeah, so would I."

He paused.

"I don't really know what I'm gonna do if she breaks up with me."

_If._

That was the only word I could think about. Because, according to Kurt, it wasn't an _if_. It was a _when_. And that _when_ was soon... when he wouldn't have any idea what to do without her.

When he'd be alone.

"There'll be other girls, Finn. You'll find someone who is everything you like about Rachel but so much more once you go to college and really start living. You'll see."

That was just another tough subject that I hadn't actually intended to bring up.

"Well... _if_ I go to college."

And _that_ was just about the last thing I was expecting him to say.

There was no question in our house about _not_ going to college. Carole and I had discussed it so many times, and we had agreed that no matter how tight things were, we would put all three of them through whatever college it was they wanted to go to.

They deserved the best, and college was the single most important path to the best.

I was actually a little pissed.

"What do you mean _if_?"

And then _he_ was actually a little pissed.

"I don't have to go to college. I haven't really decided yet."

And then I was a little more than just pissed.

"Finn, you _are_ going to college."

He looked completely taken aback. He wasn't expecting me to be so forceful, but I wasn't going to put up with an argument.

Finn, Kurt, and Blaine deserved more than what I got. Yeah, junior college was enough for a tire shop. But those boys were greater than a tire shop. They were talented and smart and destined for bigger things.

"I just thought... you know, maybe Quinn was right. I'll stay in Lima and eventually take over for -"

"No, you won't."

He almost looked hurt, but _that_ wasn't the way I meant it.

"I mean, not that I don't want you to, but you _can't_. You can't give up everything you've got going for you to run a tire shop, Finn. Yeah, it's a business and a damn good one, but you and I both know that you'd regret it for the rest of your life if you stay here."

He wasn't particularly convinced.

"I don't know."

Not good enough.

"Well, _I_ do. And you're going to college, you got that?"

He opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it. He nodded his head without a single ounce of conviction. A part of me knew that I could never _force _him to go to college. If he was prepared to get a job and support himself entirely, that was his decision.

But it was _my_ decision to send him to school. And I'd be damned if it didn't happen.

We watched the rest of the game in a slightly uncomfortable silence.

It wasn't until we got back to the car that he said anything. I was driving home, and I could tell that he was thinking very hard about something, but I didn't want to push him anymore. If he wanted to say something, he'd say it, and if he wanted to have an argument, we'd have it.

"Hey, have you talked to Blaine about this Warbler stuff?"

_I'm sorry, can you say that one more time?_

How out of the loop could I have been for _Kurt_ to be reporting to me on Finn and for _Finn_ to be telling me that I needed to talk to Blaine?

That kid had so much going on in his life, and he wanted me to help Blaine out with his problems?

I couldn't believe how far all three of them had come in such a short amount of time. They got each other so much better than I ever could, despite all of their insane differences.

Maybe it was a show choir thing.

But my real issue was that _no_, I hadn't talked to Blaine about any Warbler stuff. I was trying to juggle all three problems, and I figured that Blaine's wouldn't really peak until _after_ they saw the Warblers perform at sectionals.

I'd figured wrong.

"I just think he might be taking it kinda hard... being _enemies_ with those guys. And there's this new prick... seriously, Burt, I think he might be _the_ most arrogant -"

"Wait, hold on, you've _met_ this guy?"

He looked confused.

"They didn't tell you about that?"

How were there so many things that I was supposed to know about that no one had actually told me?

I felt so lost.

"No, nobody told me about anything. Did something happen?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, we were at the mall the other day. Remember, Kurt was convinced that I needed a new jacket?"

I nodded and kept myself from laughing at the memory of Kurt holding Finn's puffy vests at knife point, threatening to rip them to pieces if Finn wouldn't at least _try_ shopping for a nice coat just _once_.

"So, they took me to find one, and the Warblers just happened to be performing at the same time we were there. They were in Lima... and they hadn't told Blaine. But, you know, we watched part of the show from the back, and, well, he wasn't looking too great. I don't think he was expecting them to be, like, _good_ without him. And they were good, I have to give them that."

I didn't want to know where the rest of the story was headed.

"We waited around after the show so that Blaine could talk to all of them... but this new guy, he told Blaine to leave, that he would report him for cheating just for talking to his friends. And I think the worst part was that the Warbler guys didn't even disagree with him. Blaine and this guy both said a bunch of stuff that's not really uh... well, for Blaine's sake, I won't repeat it, but we dragged him away before anything too crazy could happen."

He sighed.

"It was terrible. He was really freaking out and now he and Kurt and Rachel are all campaigning for glee club practices that are twice as long as usual to make sure we beat these guys. But that's all I really know."

He paused, waiting for me to provide some kind of response, but I was completely speechless.

"I just think he might need some... perspective, I guess. That's all."

Finn was right. I just couldn't believe that no one had told me about it. I mean, Kurt and Blaine had each other, and I guess Finn just assumed that one of them had already told me. And I did always want them to try to work out as much of their stuff by themselves as they could. But the Warblers and Westerville and Blaine's old life... that was something I needed to be involved in.

But there wasn't enough time before sectionals.

Yeah, they won, but it was close, and seeing the Warblers on the top of their game still really got to Blaine. Those guys were happy and talented and important, all without him.

They didn't need him anymore, and from what Finn had told me, Blaine didn't even think they particularly _wanted_ him anymore. It was like a cycle to him, and he couldn't handle being thrown away again.

He didn't _deserve_ to be thrown away again.

The only problem was that he didn't show it at all. On the outside, he was so happy that they'd won and that they were just one step closer to nationals. But I could tell there was something much bigger going on. He wasn't happy, and he wasn't satisfied with a win that was so closely coupled with a loss.

It wasn't until I found him alone in the kitchen late one night that I finally got my chance to talk to him. He was slowly sipping at a still steaming mug of hot chocolate, and I knew that I just had to go for it.

"Hey."

He jumped and almost spilled the drink all over himself.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

He smiled, clearly a little rattled.

"You didn't."

He stood up to leave.

"Sorry... I'm not even supposed to be down here. I'll just -"

"Sit back down."

I sat down in the chair across from his and watched his face light up. I think he was expecting me to get mad at him for being up so late, but I couldn't have cared less about that. I just wanted to talk to him.

He conceded and sat down again with his mug.

All of a sudden, we just started talking. It had been awhile since we had calmly talked about what was happening in his life.

It felt good, and I had to admit, I'd missed it. After the whole _screamer_ thing, he'd been so distant. I don't think he completely believed that I was actually being genuine when we'd talked about all of it.

I mean, I'd have trouble looking me in the eyes after something like that too. He must have been so embarrassed and humiliated out of his mind... but I still felt like there was some other reason beyond just _that_.

And I think that was one of the first moments that I realized just how good I was finally getting at reading him. He was smiling and cheery, but I could see right through it.

There was something a lot bigger that was still bothering him.

And I was actually kind of proud of myself for knowing what it was.

"This whole thing with the Warblers is still getting you down, huh?"

He looked right at me and winced, and for one second I almost regretted it.

"Kurt told you about the mall?"

But he was ready to talk about it, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Finn."

He paused, trying to determine exactly what it was that I wanted him to say on the subject.

"I'm really sorry about that. I don't know what got into me."

He determined wrong. I was just trying to help him feel better, but he thought I was going to be angry at him for everything that had happened. I knew I had to say something that would help him understand that we were just talking and that just talking came without any kind of consequences.

"Blaine, do you know what I would have done if I had been in your shoes?"

He shook his head and took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"I'd have punched him in the face."

He just about spit out his drink at that comment.

"And more than once!"

He put his mug down, and we both laughed.

"Look, all I'm saying is that you don't need to let this new guy get you down. From what I hear, he's an asshole, and you, Blaine... _you_ are an amazing kid."

He looked up at me with a smile on his face but quickly focused all of his attention to using his thumb to rub a spot off the rim of his mug.

"You don't need that crap."

He nodded, but I knew he was still far from convinced. It was like he was ashamed to say what was really bothering him.

So, I knew that I needed to say it for him, even though I didn't really want to admit it to myself either.

I guess at some point I had been sucked into the delusion that he was _my_ kid now and that the past could stay in the past. I had no idea just how wrong I was.

"But you really miss them, don't you?"

He looked up at me with a sad smile on his face.

"That obvious, huh?"

I smiled.

"They were your best friends, Blaine, and even with time, it still... well, it still sucks."

He laughed.

"I don't even think it's really _them_. I mean... it is, but it's more than that too. I don't know, I guess I just sort of miss being the leader of something. Having all of those guys look up to me just sort of made me feel... important. That's probably a stupid thing to say."

He looked back down at his mug, and I knew that I had to get his attention back.

"It's not stupid at all, son."

He slowly lifted his head and dared to look me right in the eyes, trying to figure out if he was ready to say what he'd undoubtedly been thinking about for a long time.

"I've never been happier in my entire life that I have in the time I've lived here. I could never ask for anything better than what I have right now."

He paused.

"It's like... I _know_ that I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have ended up exactly where I am right now. You and your family have been the greatest things to ever happen to me, and I just feel so stupid for actually missing something from a time when I didn't have any of this... do you get what I'm saying?"

I did. I wished I didn't have to, but I did.

I wanted to pretend that Blaine had grown up in my family his entire life. That he was perfectly well adjusted and had known everyone at McKinley since he was in elementary school. That he didn't have the life in Westerville always in his memories and gnawing at the back of his mind. That he didn't have to deal with old friends moving on when he was still having some trouble with it.

That he was and had always been happy and the luckiest guy in the world.

It broke my heart.

"I do. And you shouldn't feel bad about it, alright? You have every right to miss those guys and the show choir and all that."

He smiled at me, appreciating that I was at least attempting to figure out this whole show choir thing.

"I'd be concerned if you didn't miss them, actually. That was your whole life before these past few months, and you can't just turn it on and off when you want to."

I paused.

"But I will give you some advice."

He perked to full attention.

"Life passes you by so fast, kid. And if they don't get that you are worth holding onto, then they're the ones who aren't worth it, you got that?"

He nodded half-heartedly.

"Talk to them again. And tell them to kick that new guy to the curb."

He smiled.

"Because one way or another, you will always be better than he'll ever be. And they'll never have a frontman with as much charisma or talent as the one and only _Blaine Warbler_, am I right?"

He laughed.

"Now you sound like Kurt."

I laughed with him.

"That was sort of what I was going for."

He looked right at me, very considering.

"Thank you, Burt."

He stood up to leave, but there was still something in his eyes that didn't quite sit well with me.

"Hey, you know that whenever you want to talk about stuff... anything at all, really, you can just ask, alright?"

He hesitated.

"Yeah, I know."

He tightened his smile.

"Goodnight."

He walked upstairs, but I was still planted to my seat.

I knew how hard all of the reminders from Westerville were for him. But this seemed bigger than that. I didn't know what it was, exactly, but I _did_ know that it wouldn't be something he'd tell Finn, and if he told Kurt, it'd stay between the two of them.

I knew right then that I wouldn't be able to figure it out without his help, and it'd take me a few days to realize that what I really needed was my own Christmas miracle.

* * *

><p>Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you'll send me a review with any and all of your thoughts! What do you think is going on with Blaine? Any guesses? :)<p> 


	20. The Yuletide

At this very moment, I am beaming from ear to ear in complete disbelief. We actually hit 500 reviews. I cannot believe it. If you'd told me in May that there'd be 500 brilliant reviews for this story, I literally would not have believed you. I just want to thank you as sincerely as one can over the internet for making my days so much brighter and for making every single sleepless night spent working on this story totally and unequivocally worth it. I can't do this without all of you being the amazing and faithful readers and reviewers that you are, and I just want to thank you right now for every boost of confidence you've given me when I've been feeling down and for allowing me to believe in myself on something that I'm truly passionate about. Thank you, thank you, thank you, a hundred times... thank you.

As for this chapter, I promise you right now that as long as you don't want this to be the last chapter, it won't be. I have every intention to take this story to thirty chapters at the very least, and I actually just had a very funny idea for chapter twenty-six! So, on that note, I hope you will let me take this story on one more ten-chapter arc, because I would absolutely love to. :)

Also, this is a bit of a sad (and long!) one. For the very first time, I actually cried a bit while writing it. You have been warned!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>Rachel broke up with Finn three days before they got out of school for Christmas break.<p>

He just came home one night and plopped down on the couch next to me.

"It's over."

I could feel all of the air suddenly disappear from my lungs.

I clenched the beer bottle in my hand a little bit tighter and tried to read him. He was actually sort of _smiling_, but I couldn't tell if it was from happiness or something more like disbelief.

"You alright?"

He looked at me and nodded.

"Yeah. I mean... yeah. I think so."

He wasn't. Not yet.

I took a sip of my beer.

"Well, I'll remind you that you said that in a few days."

He laughed and groaned.

"I wish I didn't already know how right you are about that."

He sighed.

"I guess it just hasn't really hit me yet."

I wanted it to never have to hit him and for her to just get back with him right then.

I clapped him on the leg.

"You'll be ready when it does."

He smiled and stood up to leave.

"I hope so."

And so did I.

But over the next few days, Finn was a bit of a mess. Quiet, distant, sullen... wore the same outfit for about four days in a row. But then, all of a sudden, he pulled a _Finn_ and just sort of... got over it.

He talked to Carole about it a lot, and from what I gathered from her, he was genuinely better. Yeah, he still loved Rachel, and yeah, he was still heartbroken. But he was Finn, and he wasn't much for letting _anyone_ get him down for too long, even if it was Rachel.

I tried to view all of it as a good thing. Other than a few days of gloom, he really did start focusing better. He played better at practices, he was less stressed, and he was more of "normal" Finn instead of "Rachel's" Finn.

But the real test came when Kurt wanted to have all of the girls over for a sleepover a few days into the Christmas break... including Rachel.

It would be the first time for her to be in the house since the breakup and the first time she might even encounter Finn since school had ended.

I wasn't too sure about it.

"Dad, please? I've already talked to Finn, and he's completely fine with it."

Of course he was.

"Kurt, are you sure he's _actually_ fine with it or do you think that just maybe he's trying to make you happy and keep things from being weird between you and Rachel?"

He threw his hands in the air.

"I asked him that! And he said that he _really_ is completely fine with her being at the house. He understands that the two of us are friends, and _I_ understand that in this case his feelings will always come before mine. And it just so happens that he feels the same way that I do. That she can come over, and he won't be upset."

I sighed.

He had a point, and as long as he'd really asked Finn about it, I couldn't see it being too big of an issue.

"Alright, yeah, fine, but if anything changes -"

"Of course."

I smiled, and I could see the joy light up his eyes.

"Thank you, Dad. You're the best."

And she did come over.

Most of Finn's friends were out of town already, and it was just one of those nights where nothing was really going on. So, he stayed in and hid away in his room for most of the night, his video games competing with the sound of their laughter.

Until the video games turned off and the laughter only increased in volume.

Carole and I were settling in to go to sleep when we heard a knock from outside our bedroom. And from all of the laughter down the hall, there was only one person it could be.

"Come on in, Finn," Carole called.

He opened the door, shoulders hunched, and clearly uncomfortable to be walking in on the two of us in bed that he couldn't even remember why he'd knocked in the first place.

I looked at Carole and we both laughed, realizing that this was definitely the first time he'd ever seen us like that, even after more than a year of marriage.

"You need something, buddy?"

He snapped to attention.

"Oh, um, not really... I guess... I was just wondering if maybe one of you could ask them to keep it down? I've gotta be up at eight, and it's already -"

Carole moved to stand up, but I was faster and honestly a little scared of what she might say to Rachel, knowing all of the things I probably would have said to her if I'd been in her shoes.

"I'll talk to them."

She smiled, and I left Finn with his mom.

As I walked down the hall, their noise only got louder.

Rachel's shrill voice resonated above all of the rest, and I had absolutely no idea how Finn had managed to stay sane through all of it.

But when I knocked on the door, every voice immediately went quiet.

The door slowly squeaked open, and I was met by an innocent and smiling Kurt.

"Oh, hi, Dad!"

He knew exactly why I was there.

I got a good view of the rest of the room. Rachel, Mercedes, Tina, and Blaine were all sitting in a circle on Kurt's bed, and the air was thick with the smell of nail polish and popcorn.

They all waved at me, Blaine looking a little more guilty than the rest.

"Kurt, do you have any idea what time it is?"

He gasped in feigned surprise.

"Is it that late? Sorry, we'll keep it down."

I laughed and crossed my arms.

"Well, thanks, but that's actually only half of what I meant."

He really did look confused at that one.

"And the other half?"

I smiled, and when I leaned into the room, he took a quick step to the side.

"Hey, Blaine?"

His neck immediately snapped toward me.

"Yes, sir?"

It had been awhile since I'd heard that one, and it made my stomach churn. He wasn't in trouble, and nothing even remotely bad was happening. I had just called his name, and he'd still perked up with a "sir."

It wasn't good, and I suddenly lost all of my momentum.

"Maybe, uh... maybe you should head back to your own room?"

Blaine got up off of the bed and Kurt's face fell.

"Dad, come on. There are three other people here. What do you think is going to happen?"

I was about to respond when Blaine did it for me.

"No, Kurt, he's right. I'll see you all tomorrow. Goodnight, ladies."

They all said goodnight to him, although Rachel had her back firmly to the door, not daring to look at me.

"'Night, Kurt."

Kurt was waiting for a kiss, but Blaine was already out the door. It was an awkward moment to be in the middle of, and I was actually confused as to why it had even happened.

I mean, I'd seen the two of them kiss each other about a billion times.

Even after the giant cat came out of the bag, I'd seen them kiss each other. So, why did Blaine just walk away because I was standing there?

Kurt's face was contorted in confusion, and I knew that it wasn't the time or place to actually ask him about it.

"Um, you'll try to get some sleep, yeah?"

Kurt nodded sheepishly and closed the door.

I knew that he was just as worried about Blaine as I was.

Ever since they'd gotten out of school for Christmas, there was something slightly off about him. No one could really place it, and it was never enough to actually ask him about it and expect a straight answer.

Until that.

I hurried to catch up with him, but he didn't really seem to notice until I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned him around.

"Hey, you alright?"

He blinked a few times, as if he wasn't sure if I was actually standing in front of him.

"What? Yeah. I mean... yes, I'm fine."

But that was the moment that I knew he wasn't.

"Goodnight."

And he disappeared into his room.

It wasn't good. I _knew_ it wasn't good, but in the days leading up to Christmas, Kurt was going all out and making it completely impossible to think about anything that wasn't consumed with ornaments, wrapping paper, or sheer joy.

And we all loved it. No one wanted to focus on anything negative when there was so much happiness going around.

I'll never forget that Christmas.

It was Kurt and Blaine's first Christmas _together_, and the two of them were out shopping just about every single moment of the day. They even "let" Finn accompany them a few times.

The two of them could shop for hours - days, really, but Finn? Finn would just about pass out after every trip. And he still fared better than me. I don't think I could've made it more than an hour and a half with the two of them both in full boyfriend mode, trying on clothes and picking out shoes and analyzing every detail of every item in every store.

It was times like those where I was so thankful that they had each other.

It made me think of all of the past Christmases, when Kurt barely had _anyone_ to talk to at all, and certainly no one to take shopping for hours who would actually enjoy it just as much as he did.

Everything was exciting, and everything was happy, all the way to Christmas morning.

I remember Kurt waking me up at the crack of dawn.

He quickly informed me that everyone else was already downstairs, and that _I_ was the only one keeping everybody waiting.

Of course, once I _did_ make it downstairs, I found that I was clearly not the only person he'd said that to. Finn was half asleep on the floor, and Blaine was doing his best to stifle a yawn.

Carole, on the other hand, looked like she might have even been up before Kurt was, and she was armed with a fresh pot of coffee that promptly woke the rest of us up.

Kurt was quickly sorting the presents and passing them to their respective owners, like he was five again and there was not a single moment to waste.

I didn't stop to think about the fact that it would be his last Christmas living in that house, or that they'd all be off at college for the next one. Instead, I tried to focus on how happy we all were in that moment and how it was really just the beginning of so many undoubtedly crazy family Christmases to come with Carole, Finn, and Blaine there for every single one of them.

As we opened gifts, hugs were distributed, inside jokes rampant, and I'm pretty sure Kurt's scarf and hat collections doubled, easily.

And then... Finn gave his gifts to Kurt and Blaine.

"You have to open them at the same time, okay?"

They tore through the packaging and were both happily confused to find the exact same pair of socks in their boxes.

Kurt was the first one to bring up the most obvious question.

"Um, Finn, as thoughtful as I'm sure these gifts are... why _socks_?"

Finn smirked.

"Don't you get it?"

None of us did, and a look of surprise spread across his face, though he was quickly ready to explain.

"So, Blaine's socks are for that time that I stole all of his over that glee club thing. And your socks, Kurt, are for that time that I walked in on you guys, uh... well, I didn't knock, and... you know, you remember... for that pair of black ones?"

Blaine turned bright red, and Kurt just laughed like he couldn't actually believe what was happening.

"I just thought I should take it full circle."

He smiled goofily, very proud of himself for coming up with it.

"Well, thank you, Finn. That was very... considerate of you. I'm sure that every time we wear these, we will think of you. Right, Blaine?"

But between the looks on both Kurt and Finn's faces, Blaine suddenly started laughing so hard that he could barely compose an answer.

And then, we were all laughing.

And whenever I think about just how nuts everything that happened in our house was, I think about Finn giving them those damn socks... _and_ what he noticed next.

Carole and I had just moved to the kitchen when Finn spoke up again.

"Wait, hold on," he said through his laughter, "there aren't any presents left, but you two haven't given each other anything yet."

Blaine and Kurt both smiled at one another.

"Oh, we already gave each other our gifts," Kurt said as he squeezed Blaine's hand.

The two of them were being adorable, and Finn was immediately disgusted.

"Jesus, guys. Really? _That's_ what you got each other for _Christmas_?"

But Kurt and Blaine didn't understand what Finn was getting at, and I didn't even _want_ to know what Finn was getting at.

"Um, if you're referring to a new Marc Jacobs sweater and an autographed _Wicked_ playbill, then _yes_, Finn, that's what we got each other for Christmas."

Finn's face fell, ashamed that he had even insinuated that their gifts could have possibly been anything else.

"Right, a sweater and... that other thing. That's what I meant."

Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, did you think that we -"

"Kurt, maybe we just shouldn't even go there."

But Kurt looked at Blaine and laughed.

"Why not? That's hilarious... and also true!"

Finn groaned, and even Blaine couldn't keep from laughing at Kurt's comment. It was clear that all three of them were under the impression that I couldn't hear a single word of what they were saying.

I just tried to _pretend_ like I couldn't hear a single word of what they were saying.

"Thank you for that. I see that my socks mean nothing to you!"

Kurt was still laughing.

"Merry Christmas, Finn."

The rest of the day was mostly spent with well-deserved naps.I even left Kurt and Blaine be when they accidentally fell asleep on top of each other in Blaine's bed. It was Christmas, and it qualified as one of those rare times that they just deserved to be together.

That night, though, the family split up.

Carole and Finn left for her parents' house, and Kurt went to his mother's sister's house.

It wasn't that Blaine and I weren't invited to these things, but extended family time was rare, and neither of us were really in the mood for new introductions or awkward storytelling.

So, it was me and Blaine at home by ourselves for the night, and I knew that it was time for me to get to the bottom of things.

But he was hiding away in his room, and I needed an excuse to pry him out of there. We'd both already eaten about a hundred of Kurt's Christmas cookies each, so those were out of the question. And the entire downstairs was already clean, so I couldn't convince him to help me there.

I figured that asking him if he had any dirty clothes would at least be a way to get into his room with a real reason.

But all I got from him was an, "Oh, yeah, thanks."

So, I took his basket and let him be, assuming I'd come up with something a little more persuasive as the clothes washed.

But I didn't need anything else. _His clothes_ gave it to me.

Because in the pocket of one of his jackets was a Christmas card with a Michigan return address label and a photo of two happy parents and three adorable children.

It was his mom, smiling with the family he'd never known.

It explained a lot, actually. It wasn't enough to really push him off balance, but it _was_ enough to mess with his head, even if only a little bit.

I couldn't believe I didn't think of it earlier. Blaine had told me about his mom and the Christmas cards the day he came into my shop, the day all of this really began. I should have put the pieces together sooner, said something to him before he could let it build up so much.

I was actually still trying to figure out what to do with it when he opened the door to the laundry room.

"Hey, there's actually -"

The card in my hand was still in perfect view, and he froze on the spot.

I couldn't tell if he was angry or upset, but his lips tightened and his feet shifted.

"Where did you get that?"

_Definitely upset._

"Your jacket."

He was cursing himself for forgetting to take it out, for practically handing it right over to me.

I handed it back to him, and he turned to leave as if there was nothing left for me to say.

"Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

I sighed, and I knew that there was a slippery slope ahead of us.

"You wanna talk about it?"

It was so key. If there was one thing that I'd learned in the first few months of living with Blaine, it was that if he wasn't on board to say or do something, it just wasn't going to happen.

It was the reason we'd never really talked about everything that had happened with his father. It was the reason he broke up with Kurt. And it was the reason I had found out that his mother's name was Celeste only because I'd read it on a card that I found in his jacket pocket.

It was Christmas night, and all I wanted was for him to be a little bit happier.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"That might be nice, actually."

I smiled and immediately gave up on the laundry.

We both sat down on the couch in the dark living room, lit only by the Christmas tree and the fireplace.

Kurt had told me that Blaine loved that we always had a fire burning in our house, because his dad had always hated them.

It was a start.

He showed me the card and introduced me to everyone.

"That's Paul. I don't know what he does for a living, but it must be something pretty great if he can afford that tie."

I laughed.

Of course Blaine knew just how expensive that tie was.

"And this is Nathaniel, he's eleven. And that's Sarah, she's nine. And Molly's six."

The card didn't say how old his half siblings were. But he knew every piece of information that he possibly could about them, because he'd been studying them for years, imagining what it might be like to live in that house with them.

And that's when I realized just how important those cards were, how important that false connection to a family had been to him when all he had had was his father.

"And that's my mom, of course."

He pointed to her on the photograph. They barely even looked alike. Blaine so closely resembled his father, but I didn't dare tell him that.

He sighed.

"I guess it wasn't really the card that got me a little crazy."

He smiled in spite of himself.

"It was really that she knew where to send it. I've sent her letters from this address. So, she must be reading them, right? I mean, maybe it's stupid to think that, but... I don't know, maybe she opened one? Maybe she knows about Kurt and you and all of this, and maybe it made her happy?"

He paused.

"I think I'd like to think that, at least."

I smiled, trying to make him feel a little bit better. He was such a tough kid, and there was no use telling him something he didn't want to hear. Let him hold on for a little bit longer.

"Hey, I bet it did. I know that it makes me happy."

He laughed.

"Thank you for saying that, Burt. I appreciate it."

I could have left it right there for the night. I could have clapped him on the shoulder and smiled, and we could have spent the rest of the night watching a game or finishing off the rest of Kurt's cookies.

But he was still guarded, still not saying something that I knew he wanted to.

He sighed, but he didn't get up.

He was handing me an invitation, and I had to accept it.

"Tell me something, kid."

He turned to me, a little unsure of what I meant.

"Shoot."

I tried to play it off like I was really just curious.

"What were you doing this time last year?"

He smiled, bewildered as to why of all the things I might have asked, I'd picked that one.

"Last Christmas?"

I nodded, and he furrowed his brow in concentration.

"Well, I guess I was at Dalton last Christmas. My dad got me this gig in a _parade_, singing with this girl. Apparently she was the daughter of someone he worked with, and they were trying to set us up. And when she asked me out, well... it was a bit of a disaster."

He laughed.

"I told her upfront that I didn't... you know, play for her team, and she was kind of crushed, actually. And my dad wasn't too happy about it either, so I just stayed at school for the rest of the holidays, and he went out of town. Easier to leave me with the Dalton cooking staff then deal with me himself, I guess."

He sighed.

"Ah, it was a pretty stupid Christmas, other than singing with your son, of course. That was very nice."

He smiled.

"But it was nothing compared to this one. None of them have been."

_None of them have been._

So, the problem didn't lie with his mother at Christmas time. It was always his father. And it always would be.

And it was still something we'd never really talked about.

All I'd seen were the bruises from only one incident, and he'd used the word _raging_. That was all I could think of.

He'd never wanted to talk about it, and I'd never wanted to push him if he wasn't ready to be pushed.

He had every right to want to keep some things to himself, but it'd been seven months since he moved in. And if he was ever going to be able to truly separate me from his father, I had to know what it was that always linked us together in his mind.

"Your dad."

I'd just spit it out, without really thinking about it at all.

"I'm sorry?"

I came to my senses.

"What was he like? And I mean, really. How did _you_ see him?"

He wasn't sure if he was ready for such a loaded question. We'd moved to the high dive, and it was all about jumping in.

He could still turn back, climb down the ladder, and tell me that he had no interest in saying a single word on that subject.

But he didn't.

"In one word, I guess I'd say... unreasonable."

It was one huge word.

"Especially compared to you."

He paused, still debating whether or not he was ready to take the leap.

He took a deep breath.

"But how unreasonable he was only contributed to how I viewed him when I was being logical. And most of the time, when it came to him... I really hated being logical."

I didn't understand what he meant exactly, but I was glued to the words.

"When I was growing up, he was pretty much the same way he is now. Coming out to him didn't really change much. You don't just wake up one day and suddenly start hating your kid."

He looked at me, and I nodded.

"No, he... he was always him. It just got a little bit worse after he found out. But it never mattered to me when I was little, because I didn't understand it. I couldn't understand why everyone else's dads would toss a ball around with them, but mine was too always too busy."

He paused.

"But the more I thought about it, the more it started to... make sense. My father gave me a Superman comic every week, and I read every single one of them. Can you believe that?"

He looked right at me with a bit of an angry smile on his face, almost expecting me to know exactly what conclusion he was about to come to.

"He was giving me these comics, and he was always so tired when he'd come home from work. It all fit so perfectly in the mind of an eight-year-old."

He paused.

"He was Superman. He had to be, right?"

He laughed.

"It was so stupid, but somehow I convinced myself that he was working so hard all day saving the world that he was fresh out of love by the time he came home."

If a heart could break, mine would have right then and there.

"And what was I supposed to think? That _I _was more important than saving the world? No, of course not. I was just one little person, and he was Superman. Think about all of the people who wouldn't have been rescued if he'd taken any time off for me."

It was almost like a part of him still believed it.

"No, I was more than willing to give up my own problems so that my father could do his job. And I started to sort of see myself as being superior to all of the other kids. Were _their_ dads Superman? No, _mine_ was. And that made me cooler than them. Or at least that's what I told myself when none of the other boys would speak to me, because I didn't know it was 'wrong' to think that Ben Affleck was hot."

I smiled.

"Hey, even I know that Ben Affleck's hot."

He laughed, and it was so genuine.

"He still is!"

I wondered what his father would have said to him if he'd come home from school that day and told him that story about Ben Affleck. I couldn't help but smile, knowing that it would have been the furthest thing from what I'd said and that the only father left to say anything to him was me.

He quickly got back on track.

"I don't think I really snapped out of that whole Superman thing until he asked me to build the Chevy with him. I was older then, and I knew better, but I was still just holding on to some kind of hope that he was really ready to give us a try."

His face fell.

"But that was just stupid. That whole thing ended in a huge fight, and I think he threw a wrench at me? I don't know, but I knew that that was the end of Superman and more importantly, the end of ever getting a real father out of him. There was just no coming back from that one."

He sighed.

"The single worst incident, though, really was the night before I came to your shop."

He looked at me, and I knew he was telling the truth.

"It was always easy for him to ignore the fact that I'm gay... until I told him that I had a boyfriend. That was when he knew that he had to do _something_ if there was ever going to be an end to all of it."

He paused.

"Of course, he could never realize that there _would_ never be an end to me being gay, that it wasn't something in his control, because he was always able to control me. And that was the first time that he finally just... couldn't anymore."

I wondered if he could still feel it. I wondered if he could still picture every blow and hear every word.

I so hoped that he couldn't.

He was very quiet.

"Do you have any idea how many times I really thought I'd found someone like you? How many times I've heard that everything's going to be okay or... or that there was someone who could protect me?"

I didn't. And I had no idea what he was talking about.

"More than I can count. But none of them ever mattered, because my father had money and connections. And every time anyone got close enough to see that something wasn't quite right, well... he knew how to get them to keep their mouths shut."

I couldn't believe that it was really that simple.

"And then when he jokes about how clumsy you are or how you fell off of your bicycle in front of all of his friends who love to comment on how you look like a tiny version of him, how do you say no?"

He looked right at me with desperate eyes.

"You can't, because you know that if you tell the truth, well... he'll always find a way to cover it up again, and you think that maybe, just maybe, when you say no, there's still that hope that he'll throw his arm around you and tell you that he's proud of you for going along with it."

That was all he wanted. His dad just needed to throw his arm around his son and tell him that he was proud of him.

I couldn't think of anything more obvious to do for one of my boys when they needed me.

"I don't think I ever lost that hope, even though I knew better. And you're the only person who has ever come into my life who he didn't have any kind of control over."

Tears were slowly forming in his eyes, and I could feel my own throat closing up.

"You're the only person who's cared more about what _I_ had to say than what he had to say, and it was the first time that anyone was able to create that little spark of something better than everything back in Westerville without him blowing it out before it could really burn."

His eyes were fixated on the orange flames in the fireplace.

"He realized that he was never going to be able to beat you, so he gave up. He just stopped trying. And even though getting away from him was the one thing that I wanted more than anything in the world... I don't know."

He sighed, trying to figure out if what he was about to say was worth risking sounding foolish.

"I think the fact that I finally had to give up that hope, that hope that really made no sense when I truly thought about it, hurt more than anything he'd ever done to me."

It wasn't foolish at all. It made perfect sense, and I could tell by looking into his glassy eyes that even he knew it.

"Coming here and him giving up... it meant that he'd never change. Every single day, there was that idea that maybe just one day, he'd... he'd be _you_, Burt. But in the back of my mind, I always knew that I could never find anything like that with him. I could never have with my own father what Kurt will always have with you."

What I needed him to know that _he_ had with me now.

It was my turn to step up. It was my turn to be a man. And it was my turn to be a dad.

His dad.

And I was ready.

"You know, Blaine, there are a lot of things I could tell you right now. I could tell you that you didn't do anything to deserve this, for one."

He looked at me, suddenly a little terrified of what I was about to say, because it was guaranteed to be like nothing he'd ever heard before.

"I could tell you that it's all his fault, not yours, and that you are a great kid who is compassionate and smart and kind and about a hundred other good things... but I'm not gonna, because I know that it takes a lot more than all that to actually get you to believe it, even if all of those things are true."

I don't think he was prepared for a single word of that.

"So, I'm going to say this."

We made eye contact, and I couldn't let it go.

"Your father can never hurt you again. And I mean that. I've kept that promise since the first time you trusted me, and I will never let it go, do you understand?"

He nodded, his jaw quivering.

"You live here. You are a part of this family. And you are my son."

He squeezed his eyes shut tight, willing the tears to go back down.

"I know that I can't change the past, and I can't make all of the awful things that have happened to you go away, but I can do you one better. I can give you a future. For the rest of your life, Blaine, I can promise you that I will always be here for you whenever you need me."

I was making another promise, and he knew that I stuck to my promises.

"I will always do whatever it takes to make sure that you are happy and healthy and safe at all times, no matter what."

He nodded, knowing that for the first time in his life, this one was real.

"Nothing gets between you and me or between you and this family, because that's what a family is. All we've really got is each other, and it's _not_ a family if you're not in it."

He couldn't keep the tears from flowing, but they didn't keep him from what he knew it was time to say.

"How did I get here?"

He was a little incoherent, but I was ready to listen.

"How did I get everything I ever wanted just because I brought you a cup of coffee one day?"

He laughed through his tears, and I couldn't help but smile.

_Everything he ever wanted._

"God, this is so weird. I feel like... like it's supposed to be reversed."

He rubbed the tears from his eyes.

"I feel like you're supposed to realize that superheroes aren't real once you grow up. You're only supposed to believe in them when you're a kid... but I'm grown up now, and I think this is the first time I've actually understood what it means to be a hero."

He looked at me.

"Heroes don't give up anyone for the greater good. Especially not... especially not their own sons."

He choked on the words.

"Heroes save everyone who needs to be saved."

He looked back at me.

"And you? You saved me."

He smiled.

"You're like Superman, Burt!"

He laughed, and a fresh batch of tears made their way down both of our faces.

It was one of those childhood dreams, becoming Superman. What boy _didn't_ read those comics? What boy _didn't_ say that he wanted to be Superman when he grew up?

But how many of those boys grew up to help raise their son's boyfriend, only for him to eventually tell them that they're Superman?

That was me. That was the amazing kid sitting right next to me, telling me everything that he'd needed to say for so long.

It was so much, and I could barely even keep myself from turning into Kurt after he'd just finished watching the end of _The Little Mermaid_.

Blaine was my son, and I was his father.

And the fireplace burned bright.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear what you thought of it if you get the chance! :)<p> 


	21. The Reunion

I am floored. Completely and unequivocally floored by the overwhelming quantity and quality of the reviews for the last chapter. I don't know how you guys continually manage to make me smile, laugh, and even cry at the beautiful things that you have to say about this story. It's amazing. All of YOU are amazing. You make this story, and you make my days so much happier. So, even though you might be getting tired of hearing it, THANK YOU for your constant support, for telling others about this story, and for simply being incredible.

This chapter is something that has been nagging my mind for a very long time now. I've actually had it listed as chapter twenty-four for the last month or so, but a few days ago, I woke up in the middle of the night, wrote the final scene of this chapter, and knew that I couldn't wait any longer to write this story!

I'm also very sorry that it's a little bit later than usual. I had a paper due on Thursday, and that took up a good chunk of my time. However, that class will be done forever (thank goodness!) this Thursday. So, there really shouldn't be any more huge delays in getting chapters out. Hooray!

Lastly, I would just like to address a few things that I know a lot of you have been asking about. Blaine's adoption subplot and everything that's going on with the Warblers will be addressed in the next chapter. I promise that I haven't forgotten about them. They've been a long time coming, because they're set up to be revealed in a very specific way, and I really want to do them justice! You will get your answers very soon! :)

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Everybody makes bad decisions.<p>

And in the week that was left of their Christmas break, we all made some.

I guess it really started when the three of them showed up at the shop one day looking particularly nervous.

I watched them as they walked in, nudging each other and whispering, trying to elect a leader, the one person who was strong enough to say whatever it was that was on their minds.

Or, from the way it looked, to ask me for whatever it was that they were obviously convinced that I wasn't gonna go for.

I had a full work load that day, and the car I was stuck over the hood of couldn't wait.

So, even before they had approached me, I was a little on edge. But I started gearing up early, trying to stay cool enough to answer whatever question they were going to ask as rationally as I could.

"Hey, guys. You need something?"

Kurt and Blaine had already put on their puppy dog eyes, while Finn was looking particularly stolid.

They certainly weren't going to make this easy for me.

Kurt stepped forward.

"Well, yes, actually. We have, um... we have a request."

From the way they were acting, they already knew it was a lost cause. No matter how they phrased whatever it was they wanted, they weren't going to get their way, and they knew it... even if those puppy dog eyes were actually starting to get to me.

"A request? Alright, hit me with it."

Kurt smiled.

Maybe giving them that glimmer of hope was a mistake.

"The glee club is planning a field trip, and we would just like your permission to attend."

That kid was damn good at phrasing things, and for a moment I was actually sort of impressed by his slyness.

"A field trip, huh? When is it?"

"Thursday."

I laughed.

"_This _Thursday? How can you go on a field trip if you're not even in school?"

He was slipping.

"Well... it's more of an... um, an independent study, I guess you'd say."

I dropped the wrench I was holding, and I could practically _see_ all of their confidence levels plummeting.

"Alright, cut to the chase, guys. What's going on?"

Kurt looked back at Finn, who was still doing his best to stay bold-faced, and Blaine, who looked at me and back to Kurt, and shrugged his shoulders. _Go for it._

Kurt took a deep breath.

"We want to see Lady Gaga."

I couldn't keep myself from laughing.

"All _three_ of you want to see Lady Gaga?"

I was looking right at Finn, who, judging from his track record might have actually understood her, _it_... whatever Gaga was, even less than I did.

He shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, yeah, I mean... she's cool, right?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and spoke so that only I could hear him.

"The _entire_ glee club is going... if you understand what I'm saying."

It made perfect sense.

_Rachel_ would be there. And after a long break without much of a word between the two of them, Finn had refocused his attentions.

He wasn't necessarily bent on winning her back, but he was definitely interested in seeing her. He still loved her, and he wasn't ready to snap every tie to her all at once.

Plus, they'd be seeing each other at school again soon, and he figured it'd probably be easier to see her out of choice rather than necessity first.

Whatever his official motive, Finn was on board because of Rachel, and Kurt and Blaine were both more than ready to defend any reason they could to see Gaga live.

I wasn't even completely against it yet. I was doing my best to keep an open mind, and that meant that I had to at least _sort of_ still consider it.

But I still knew that there had to be some reason for them to be so uneasy about all of it.

"Alright, where's this concert?"

Kurt was mustering all of his courage for the clincher.

"Chicago?"

_Deal breaker._

"No way."

And all of them immediately geared up for battle. They never left anything at my first _no_, even if I very rarely ever changed my mind.

"Dad, can't we just talk about this a little bit more?"

I crossed my arms.

"What is it you'd like to say?"

Kurt took a deep breath.

"Lady Gaga is a cultural icon."

_Here we go._

"She is one in a million, and the chances of seeing her live only come once in a blue moon. This is our blue moon, Dad! How can you, in good conscience, keep us from seeing her perform, knowing that we will probably never get another chance like this again?"

I understood his frustration, and I understood being seventeen and wanting everything in the world to go your way.

But I couldn't understand letting my kids drive five hours to _Chicago_, without an adult and in the middle of the night to see a concert... and especially someone who was so, well... _a heroin addict_?

Look, I got that Gaga was cool, and I got that they thought she was a whole lot cooler than I could ever understand, but their safety was more important to me than her coolness.

Plus, hadn't they almost burnt the entire house down with a _frisbee_ a few weeks earlier? Wasn't that alone a justified enough reason for me to say no?

They'd just have to settle for disappointment.

"Sorry guys, the answer is still no. If Gaga's such a cultural icon, she'll tour again, and maybe you can see her then. But I'm not going to let you drive to and from Chicago in one night. What's that... ten hours?"

Kurt's face fell in reluctant acceptance.

They'd known all along that my argument was going to be about the drive and them being a group of kids alone in a big city at a big concert.

"Not happening. End of story."

"But what if -"

"_End of story_, Finn. Go see a movie or something instead."

I was stern but sympathetic. And I knew that I had done the right thing.

They couldn't go, and they weren't going. And from that conversation, I thought that they completely understood that.

Which is why when they told me that everyone else's parents had told them that they couldn't go either, I pat myself on the back.

And why when they told me that they were just going to have a party at Mike's house instead, I didn't think anything of it.

And why when they called me saying that they were too tired to drive home, I bought it.

They were responsible, and they were good kids.

I trusted them.

But, like I said, everyone makes bad decisions. Even good kids who had completely earned my trust.

I only realized just how bad their decision had been at Friday night dinner the next day.

We had to eat a bit earlier than usual that night, because Carole and I were going to my high school reunion. I remember getting the invitation in the mail and immediately dreading the thought of actually attending... but Carole convinced me otherwise.

"It _could_ be fun, don't you think?"

"I don't, actually! What could be fun about standing around with a bunch of people I don't like or don't remember and haven't even seen since graduation?"

She smiled.

"_Well_, don't you think it might be a nice excuse to have a night out to dress up and show all of those bums just how great you are?"

I laughed and wrapped her in my arms, my mind already changed.

"And it _would_ be the perfect excuse to show off my gorgeous wife."

She smiled in satisfaction.

"Mm, now that might just be the best argument yet."

We kissed, and I knew that even though I didn't have the best feeling about the idea, it couldn't be terrible as long as she was by my side.

But she was upstairs getting ready when the boys and I were cleaning up after dinner.

And that's when I noticed it.

A weird green ink on the back of Finn's hand.

And it all clicked.

I was livid. I could not believe that after I explicitly told them that they couldn't go to that concert, they went anyway. I gave them a clear and firm _no_, and they went behind my back and turned it into a yes.

It was unbelievable, almost unthinkable. And, yet, there they were just walking around the kitchen like nothing had happened, like they were perfectly innocent.

I walked over to Finn and grabbed his hand.

"What the hell is this?"

All three of them were startled by my sudden action, but they were even more terrified of exactly what it meant.

They'd been found out, and they knew that they were just about done for.

Kurt's face turned as pale as a ghost, Blaine just about dropped the stack of plates he was holding, and Finn started spluttering his words.

"Uh, well... what it is... it's... you see, there was this -"

"We went to the Lady Gaga concert."

Blaine, of course.

Kurt shut his eyes, almost trying to will himself out of the entire situation just by thinking about it hard enough, and Finn let out a huge breath, his shoulders practically slumping all the way to the floor.

And Blaine just looked like a small child with crumbs all over his hands, as guilty as he could possibly be for stealing cookies out of the jar.

But none of it changed how angry I was.

I couldn't believe that they'd really done it. A part of me was still holding onto the hope that Finn was going to tell me that Brittany had found a new hobby of coloring on people's hands or something. That somehow, it wasn't true.

Even when Blaine had said it loud and clear, I didn't want to believe it.

Even though it was staring me right in the face, I didn't want to accept that they'd done something that stupid, that irresponsible when I'd trusted them.

I exploded.

"Have all of you lost your minds? I mean, seriously, _have you lost your minds_? Because there's no way you were actually thinking in any rational way when you thought that _this_ would be a good idea! Honestly, guys, I don't even know what to say, because this goes so far beyond anything and everything that you've done before now. I said _no. _You asked me if you could go, and I told you that you couldn't. So, what? You lied to me, and you manipulated me, and you went anyway?"

I didn't think that I could be any angrier.

But Finn proved me wrong.

"You never said we couldn't go."

It was bold. It was so bold.

And both Kurt and Blaine took a tiny step away from him, so as not to be grouped with whatever was going through his head.

My voice suddenly got very deep.

"Excuse me?"

He wasn't backing down.

"You said that we couldn't drive there, and we didn't drive... Sam did. So, technically, we didn't actually do anything wrong."

I could feel it boiling in my chest. It was like white hot lava was licking my insides and was as close as it could ever come to erupting all over the kitchen.

And in that split second, from the looks on all three of their faces, it was like they were actually convinced and clinging to that logic for dear life.

I was in pure and utter disbelief.

"Right, because you didn't know what I meant?"

I was screaming at them like I'd never screamed before.

"You heard me say _no_, and what? You thought that meant _yes_? I told all three of you that you _could not go_, that it _was not happening_, and you're telling me that you honestly heard that it would be just peachy keen for you to go as long as you didn't _drive_?"

They were silent.

"Somebody give me an answer!"

They all looked exhausted and thoroughly uncomfortable as they shook their heads.

And from Blaine's lips, I swear I heard the tiniest, "No, sir."

It was defeat.

We'd just come so far, and there he was, still clinging to that terrible association of two fathers.

Blood quickly rushed back to the rest of my body, and I slowly became more logical and aware of exactly what had just happened.

I'd scared them enough. I took a deep breath and willed myself to be calm.

"Alright, car keys. Come on, hand them over."

They all did as they were told.

"We'll talk about this later."

They nodded.

I heard Carole coming down the stairs, and I turned to leave the kitchen.

But something compelled me to leave them with one last word, so I turned back around in the entranceway.

"You know, I'm really disappointed in you, guys. I thought you were better than this."

It was that moment, those looks on their faces, that will stick with me forever.

It was the ultimate blow, and even though no one said a word, I knew that they were all just doing their bests to keep themselves from completely falling apart while I was still standing there.

They were all out of luck, and they knew they'd screwed up so much worse than they had ever imagined.

It was pure regret that was seeping out of their faces.

And I left them alone in the house that night, with those as the very last words I said to them.

I didn't even want to explain it all to Carole on the drive over. I just wanted to shove it all to the back of my mind and do my best to enjoy the evening.

I'd deal with them when I got home or maybe even the next day if I was lucky.

And before I knew it, I was opening the doors to my old high school, stunned by the fact that very little looked any different from the day I'd left.

The gym still had the same paint peeling off the walls, and I could practically smell the old stink of unwashed football jerseys and athlete's foot.

I had no idea how Finn did it every day.

And I had no idea how I was even going to do it for one evening, in a room full of people who were practically strangers, all sipping from identical punch glasses and keeping up small talk through fake smiles.

But Carole pushed me into the crowd, and for the first hour and a half of stories and old memories, I was actually laughing.

We talked about stealing mascots and getting drunk and not giving a shit about what anyone told us to do.

It was so funny, we said, how when we were young, we never thought we'd grow old and look back on all of the crazy things we did and actually find them crazy.

We were supposed to stay young forever, and we laughed at our younger selves for being so naive and for ever actually _wanting_ to stay in high school.

Things were going well, and I had almost completely forgotten about the whole Lady Gaga affair... until I saw Jimmy O'Connor.

Jimmy was my best friend in high school. We were on the football team together, beat up nerds together... did just about everything together, really.

But after high school, we just sort of lost touch.

There was no real fall out, just distance.

So, I was actually happy to see him at first, and I knew that he was happy to see me too.

Until he opened his mouth.

I knew that our family was out of the ordinary. I knew that most people couldn't understand why I did the things that I did. And I knew that it would always take people a little bit longer to get whose kid was whose kid straight.

I'd accepted that, I really had.

But what I would never accept were people like Jimmy O'Connor.

He'd asked me about my family while Carole was in the bathroom. It was so much easier to explain it with her there. I'd talk about Kurt, and she'd talk about Finn, and we'd sort of both talk about Blaine together.

Or, when somebody asked how many kids we had, we'd just look at each other and leave it at, "three."

But Jimmy couldn't leave it.

"Oh, yeah? Three kids? Boy, oh, boy. How old?"

That was where it always got tricky.

"They're all seniors in high school, actually."

He couldn't believe it.

"Hold on, are you telling me that you've got _triplets_, Hummel?"

It wasn't a new reaction, but it was still sort of funny.

"Uh, not quite. There's Finn. He's my stepson. My wife, Carole... she's around here somewhere. Um, and then there's Kurt, my son with -"

"Ha! Burt and Kurt. You've got to be shitting me!"

I wasn't, but I laughed along with him anyways.

He hadn't changed a bit since high school. He was still the jock with the big ego and the even bigger personality. He'd always say every single thing on his mind, and I remembered that I used to love that about him.

But I wasn't too sure if I did anymore.

"And the third one? You got another wife around here somewhere?"

I tried to laugh.

"Uh, no. No, Jim. That's Blaine, my son's boyfriend."

He let out one of the most obnoxious laughs I'd ever heard, dripping with ignorance and disgust.

"Hummel, you're telling me that your son's a fag, and you're actually letting his boyfriend bum a room in your house?"

He guffawed.

"They must be fucking like rabbits right about now! Am I right?"

And that was when I knew exactly why they'd done it, why they'd gone to that concert even though I'd told them they couldn't. Because, in that moment, I remembered what it felt like to be a teenager, to have that blood rushing through your veins like you're on top of the world and can do anything and everything that you ever put your mind to.

I remembered what it felt like to do the one thing you knew you weren't supposed to, to do something you knew was wrong, but to simply not care because you wanted it, you _needed _it more than anything in the entire world.

And that's when I punched Jimmy O'Connor in the face.

It was hard, and it was fast, and it felt so damn good.

He immediately hit the ground, and before he could even get back up, I was being ushered out of the gym with a huge smile plastered across my face.

And I didn't regret it for one second.

But Carole was appalled. More at him than me, but either way, it was certainly not how she had planned to end the evening.

And as I drove home, I knew that what I did was wrong.

I could practically hear Kurt telling me that _it's just fighting violence with violence, Dad_.

But even though I _knew_ it was wrong, I couldn't actually pinpoint what was so wrong about it. Jimmy was a cocky son of a bitch who had messed with my family. He had it coming, end of story.

Just like how Finn was in love with Rachel, and he'd do whatever it took to connect with her again.

And how Kurt and Blaine idolized Lady Gaga, and they'd do whatever it took to get close to her and enjoy one of her shows.

And how I loved my family, and I'd do whatever it took to defend them.

When we got home, our noses were immediately greeted with the smell of lemons.

Every hard surface in the house was as shiny as it could be, and the floors were freshly vacuumed.

I'm pretty sure the house had _never_ been that clean before.

And as we made our way into the kitchen, we saw what might have been the greatest apology either of us had ever gotten.

"We're sorry," was formed out of about fifty cupcakes across the kitchen counter.

They'd worked so hard to make things just a little bit better, and I couldn't help but smile at just how _them _all of it was.

It was perfect, really.

And as Carole got ready for bed, I pulled out the three sets of car keys from my pants pocket.

I knew what I had to do.

I went by Finn's room first, only to hear him snoring through a closed door.

But when I made my way to Blaine's room, I caught a glimpse of both him and Kurt in their pajamas and in his bed, on top of the covers.

Blaine was sitting up, and Kurt had his head comfortably positioned on Blaine's chest. Their bare feet were almost touching, and I could smell Kurt's shampoo from outside the door, and they were just too perfect to interrupt.

So, I listened, just out of sight.

"Once upon a time, not too long ago, there were two princes who lived in a tiny village. Two princes who loved each other very much."

"Oh, I like where this is going."

Blaine laughed.

"They had many beautiful adventures together. They sang songs and held hands and -"

Kurt kissed him.

"Oh, right. Yes, they did that too."

They both laughed.

"But, one day, an evil wizard tried to break them up."

He paused.

"He did everything that he could to be mean to the shorter prince, until one day... the prince ran away and left the evil wizard to his scotch and his sorrows."

It was so simple and yet so... victorious.

I heard Kurt sit up.

"Blaine, hey, do you want to -"

"Shhh, I'm telling a story."

Kurt sighed and positioned himself back on Blaine's chest.

"Tell away."

"So, the prince found a new wizard. One with less hair, admittedly, but one who helped the two princes stay together and one who didn't want anything bad to ever happen to them."

"I think I like this wizard."

Blaine laughed.

"Oh yeah? I think the short prince did too."

He paused, and the wizard liked those princes right back.

"Anyway, the two princes who loved each other very much were suddenly met by a... a village idiot trying to woo a fair maiden."

Kurt snorted.

"And one day, the village idiot convinced the two princes that going to a concert - excuse me, a lute performance - would be a great idea and wouldn't get them into any trouble, even though the wizard had strictly forbidden it."

I smiled.

Not that it actually would have been difficult to persuade Kurt and Blaine to go to the concert after I had said they couldn't go, I could still see Finn being the one with the big play, with the game plan for how to make it all work.

It was ironic, really.

"I'm really not a fan of this village idiot right about now!"

Blaine laughed.

"No, neither am I, really... but the things we do for love, right? And I mean, I suppose we can't really blame the village idiot entirely, can we? Those two princes _really_ love lutes. It's pretty much their favorite instrument."

"No argument there."

"Anyway, the wizard caught the village idiot in the act for having genuinely terrible hygiene and a particularly... green hand."

Kurt laughed.

"And that is why _I_ wash my hands upwards of eight times a day. It's the green hands that ruin everything, every time."

"You're right about that. So, the green handed village idiot and the two princes were promptly banished from the outside world and forced to hand over the reigns to their horses for the rest of their days."

Kurt gasped, and Blaine laughed.

"But, fear not, because the two princes still had each other, all because of the wizard who still loved the princes... even if they acted like village idiots sometimes too."

"Did you really just compare us to Finn?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. This story is entirely fictional."

Kurt laughed.

"So... what happened to the two princes after that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, did they live happily ever after?"

"Yeah... yeah, they did. Eventually, they escaped their tiny village and went to the most perfect city on Earth, the very newest of Yorks."

There was a pause, and I heard Kurt sit up again.

"You turned in all of your applications, right?"

"Kurt, we've been over this. Of course I -"

"Parsons?"

"Done."

"NYU?"

"Kurt -"

"Answer the question."

"Done."

"Columbia?"

"Long shot, but, yes... done."

Kurt relaxed again.

"And these two princes... they still loved each other, even though there were many other perfect princes in the very newest of Yorks, right?"

It was a question that didn't even need to be asked.

Blaine kissed him on the forehead.

"Always."

They were two good boys, two happy boys who loved each other and would never let anyone or anything get in the way of that.

Kurt sighed.

"Hey, Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you tell it again?"

"_Again?_"

"Please?"

"Wouldn't you like to hear a story that has nothing to do with us getting our asses handed to us? What about something happy... like _The Cat in the Hat_?"

"Well, you can't read _The Cat in the Hat _without Finn. It's his favorite book."

They both erupted in laughter, and I figured it was probably time for me to make myself known.

I stepped into the room, and they both quickly tried to judge whether or not it was okay to keep laughing.

"No _Cat in the Hat _unless I get to be both Thing One and Thing Two."

I leaned up against his doorway and laughed right along with them.

They both looked at each other, surprised that they very first words out of my mouth weren't that it was time for them to break it up.

Kurt smiled.

"How'd it go, Dad?"

He knew something had happened, something that was not a part of the plan.

"Um... differently."

I laughed.

"Come on, Kurt, let's go."

Kurt got up and kissed Blaine goodnight.

I stayed in the doorway and watched Blaine try to figure out what he was supposed to say.

"Differently, huh?"

I tossed him his car keys, and he caught them with one hand.

He looked down at them for a long time, completely surprised that I was actually giving him his car back after I'd been so angry just a few hours earlier.

"What's this for?"

I sighed.

"For being worth me getting kicked out of my high school reunion."

He almost laughed but got stuck in the shock of that statement.

"You... _what?_"

I turned off the lights.

"Goodnight, Blaine."

He raised a hand, his face longing for some kind of explanation, but I closed the door behind me.

I'm not sure what it was about that night, that blatant blurring of the line between right and wrong, but I don't know... it felt good.

It felt right. Everything did, really.

And I really wasn't angry at them anymore... or myself.

Because, I'd won, right?

I was doing a really good thing with my boys.

I was raising them to be better than I was at their age. I was raising them to love whoever they wanted to love and to make good decisions.

And even when they made bad ones, when all of us made bad ones, it didn't change anything.

Because I had boys who'd cleaned up the entire house and who'd known that the best apology was always one that involved cupcakes.

Because I had boys who were always worth defending, no matter how badly they screwed up.

And because I had boys who loved each other and who loved me.

I'd grown up.

And I had the one thing that every man wants.

Great kids who thought that I was a great father.

And nothing in the world could ever be better than that.

* * *

><p>Thank you so much for reading, and I'd love to hear what you thought of it if you get the chance! :)<p> 


	22. The Wayward

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! For all of the lovely reviews for the last chapter and for continuing to read this story! I love all of the love you've shared with me, and even more so, I love YOU! :)

As promised, this chapter addresses both the Warblers and Burt's proposition to adopt Blaine. I really hope you're happy with the way I (well... Burt!) handled each of these huge plot lines and that they work well with the rest of the story. I know that these are both very sensitive subjects for Blaine, and even though they're sort of "solved" in this chapter, they're not done for good. I feel like we've sort of gotten past the point of really _anything_ being done for good in just one chapter, haha. So, hopefully both of these major issues will be worked out to your liking, and I'd love to hear how you felt about them one way or the other!

Lastly, I apologize in advance if it takes a little bit longer to get chapter twenty-three published. My birthday (hooray!) is on Thursday as well as a final exam (boo!), so I'm hoping to have twenty-three for you by Saturday at the very latest. I'm terribly sorry... but I will leave you with two words to get excited about: Valentine's Day.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>I feel like every dinner at our house came with some kind of surprise.<p>

And a few days into the boys being back at school, Blaine hit us with a big one.

"I think I'm gonna try out for the basketball team."

Kurt almost choked on his food, but Finn was smiling, and Carole and I were just a little bit... confused.

"What? You don't think so?"

Kurt wiped his mouth and laughed.

"Honey, you're five foot eight. Finn, you're... what? Six, two?"

"Three," he corrected.

Kurt looked at Blaine and laughed, like his _not _being on the basketball team couldn't be a more obvious thing to understand.

But Blaine didn't find it particularly funny.

"So what? I'm not half bad, actually. Right, Finn?"

Finn was still smiling.

"I've gotta agree with Blaine on this one, Kurt. Plus, Puck and I have been talking about it, and you could be like our secret weapon. You're fast, and no one expects -"

"Wait, wait, hold on. You told _Finn_ about this before you told _me_?"

Kurt was genuinely upset, but Blaine barely noticed.

"Finn's _on_ the basketball team. I figured he could help me out."

That wasn't good enough for Kurt.

Carole and I looked at each other, and she knew just as well as I did that something bad was brewing just below the surface.

Kurt didn't like to feel out of the loop, especially when it came to Blaine and Finn. The two of them would always have that thing that Kurt would never actually _want_ but would still feel sort of jealous over.

It was... complicated.

Kurt narrowed his eyes.

"Well, you can do whatever you want. It's not like I'm going to stop you."

The problem was that Kurt stopping Blaine from trying out for the team had never even crossed Blaine's mind. He was expecting Kurt to be happy for him, not try to discourage him from even going for it.

But both of them kept their feelings to a few hurt glances, and the only one who _didn't _feel the awkward tension was Finn... who just kept rambling on about basketball.

I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.

It really wasn't that big of a deal, but it made sense. Of course Blaine wanted to branch out. Of course he wanted friends beyond Kurt and the glee club. Of course he wanted to be popular.

It was like he was half of Finn, and he was half of Kurt.

He wanted both worlds.

And the problem would always be that Kurt only wanted him in _his_ world.

Kurt loved the feeling of Blaine being so seemingly dependent on him. It was a nice change, especially after Kurt had been so dependent on Blaine when he first started at Dalton.

But Kurt had to realize that Blaine was his own person, and he could make whatever friends he wanted to make.

Which is exactly what I tried to tell him when I caught him staring out the kitchen window, scowling at Finn and Blaine as they practiced in the driveway.

"You're still pretty upset about this, huh?"

His shoulders jumped, and he quickly turned around.

"Jesus, Dad. You've got to stop sneaking up on people!"

He walked away from me with his arms crossed, clearly not in any kind of a mood to talk about it.

But we _had_ to talk about.

It wasn't fair to him, and it wasn't fair to Blaine for this to blow up into something it wasn't.

"Kurt, come on, what's going on here?"

I stopped him at the foot of the stairs.

"Dad, it's nothing. It doesn't matter."

He turned to walk away, but I pulled his shoulders back around.

"It matters, Kurt."

He rolled his eyes and walked to the couch.

"Fine, if we're going to talk about this... let's just get it over with."

He was being defensive, because he really _did_ want to talk about it.

Because if he _hadn't_ wanted to, he would have kept walking right up those stairs. Or at least put up a little bit more of a fight.

It really was bothering him, and he really just needed his dad to hear him out on this one.

The two of us hadn't talked about something that was bothering him for awhile, actually.

I was glad, because I'd missed having real conversations with my son, but also that nothing had really been too bad for him for such a long time. He was growing up.

I sat down next to him.

"Alright, well, thank you. Now, what is all of this? What's got you so upset? Is it Blaine or is it -"

"Yes, Dad, of course it's Blaine."

He sighed.

"He's _actually_ going to try out for the basketball team. The basketball team! And _Blaine._ Do I really need to elaborate here?"

He couldn't understand how I couldn't get it.

I couldn't see why Kurt was so worked up, why somehow it was a problem for Blaine to play basketball.

And then I remembered it. It was like we'd had this argument before.

Because, really... we had.

"Wait, Kurt, I'm sorry, but how is this any different from what happened this summer? When Blaine was playing basketball with the guys in the driveway? I thought you and Blaine talked about that and worked something out!"

Kurt sighed.

"Dad, this is completely different."

_It was?_ He wasn't really giving me too much to go on.

But I had to be patient, and I had to fish in his waters so that he knew I was really on board.

"How is it different, Kurt?"

He slapped his thighs.

He was angry, and this was supposed to be obvious.

"Because this isn't just playing basketball in the driveway with Finn and Puck. This is playing basketball almost every afternoon and playing games every single weekend, and with guys that have certainly never even _tried_ to be friends with me. Of course, I like Finn, and I like Puck. But I don't like any of the other guys on the team. So, why should I give them Blaine? Why do _they_ deserve him more than I do?"

So, _that_ was it.

It wasn't really Blaine. It was the other people who would _get_ Blaine. And the fact that there was no one new to _get_ Kurt.

He thought that he was going to be left behind.

"Kurt, Blaine isn't going anywhere. No one's giving anybody to anybody else. He's just... playing basketball."

But he wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"Then why does it _feel_ like he is? Why would he talk to Finn about this first? I mean, I didn't even get a casual mentioning of it! And now that he's actually doing this, he never stops talking about it."

He sighed.

"I'm trying, Dad. I'm trying really hard to... to listen to him and be supportive of this whole thing, but I don't understand it! And _he_ doesn't understand how _I_ don't understand. And then we start arguing about it, but we never actually solve anything, because he jumps in his car and drives to Westerville for the afternoon."

He paused.

_Wait, Westerville?_

"It's just so frustrating. I feel like this should have a very simple solution, but I can't figure out what it is for the life of me."

I had almost stopped listening entirely.

"I'm sorry, buddy. Did you say that he's been going back to Westerville?"

Kurt looked so confused.

"He... he didn't tell you about that?"

I could feel my blood pressure rising.

"No, _no_, he did not tell me about that."

"Oh."

Kurt knew he'd made a mistake.

That was such a difficult balance for him... boyfriend and _brother_. They had this sacred connection but at the same time, they had the same dad and the same set of expectations and responsibilities.

I knew that it was always weirder for Kurt than it was for Blaine, because Kurt was my son and always had been. Because my relationship with Kurt was completely "normal." But if Kurt and I were normal... then I don't even think there's a word that works well enough to describe what _Blaine_ and I were.

It was strange for Kurt to deal with the fact that Blaine operated under my thumb in the same ways he did... especially when it came to doing stuff that he really wasn't supposed to do without telling me first.

Kurt had just _tattled_ on his boyfriend.

"Well, no, see... I told you this in confidence, right? If he doesn't want you to know, then you can't tell him I told you. Please?"

I sighed.

I'd work it out later. Because right then all I wanted to know was what on earth would actually compel him to go back there.

"Alright, yeah. Just tell me one thing. Is he -"

"The Warblers."

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be happy or upset at those two words.

"They're... friends again, I think. David just texted him one day, and they hung out, and he's been maybe three or four times since then. I guess they just sort of came to their senses, really. They realized that winning competitions was never worth losing Blaine."

Kurt smiled.

"He'll tell you all about it when he's ready, Dad. You know he will."

Blaine knew that I wouldn't be too happy about him going back and forth from Westerville on any kind of regular basis. _That's_ why he didn't tell me.

I didn't like that place. I didn't like all of the memories, and I _really_ didn't like that he was going there alone.

I could think of plenty of times in the past when he'd asked me if he could go hang out with them, and I'd told him no... just for the hell of it, just because I didn't have a good feeling about it.

Of course he was keeping it from me. And I needed to try to keep an open mind to the fact that they were his friends and that he was a strong kid.

But I'd completely forgotten about the real reason I had sat down to talk to my son.

I looked right at him, recalling the very last words he'd said on the subject.

"You guys are gonna get through this, alright? Sometimes there just aren't easy answers to these things. It just takes some time."

Kurt's smile fell.

"I don't know, Dad. I just don't want him to get hurt again. And I don't want to get hurt again either."

He leaned his head on my shoulder.

I understood where he was coming from.

It scared him that these basketball guys and even the Warblers would be able to do or be anything to Blaine that Kurt didn't have any kind of a say over.

He didn't want Blaine to be unhappy, but he just wanted to be happy too.

He wanted to be happy _for _Blaine, but he didn't know how to. He didn't understand why he wasn't enough for Blaine... and especially why _basketball _was.

He didn't understand how to be everything Blaine liked. Which was really the most ridiculous part of it all. Because the only person that Blaine wanted was Kurt. It would just take a little bit longer for Kurt to realize that.

Which was also why I started checking up on them even more than usual.

They were in Kurt's room when Blaine told him the big news.

"I made it!"

He could barely even contain the excitement in his voice, and I could imagine Kurt putting on one of his pained smiles, doing his very best to be just as excited as Blaine was.

"Hey, that's... that's _great_!"

I heard Blaine sit down on the bed next to Kurt.

"It's _going_ to be great. Just wait. We're going to get into all of the best parties, maybe even have a few less slushies thrown our way, and really _be_ something at that school, Kurt. You'll see!"

He was so happy, but Kurt just couldn't get it.

"You mean _you_, Blaine. Not us. _You'll_ get to go to the great parties, and _you_ might have a few less slushies thrown your way."

"Well... not if you're there with me!"

He paused.

"Right. If I'm there _with_ you, as an accessory. Because that's what I want."

"Kurt, come on, that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean? And since when are you so concerned with being a part of the popular crowd, the well-known homophobes? Because what I'm hearing sounds like some new Blaine that I'm not even sure if I really know anymore."

He paused.

And I didn't even want to think about what must have been going through Blaine's head in that moment.

"What are you trying to say?"

Kurt sighed.

"All I'm saying is that I don't want this to change you, that's all. I don't want to... I don't want to lose you to an orange ball and the cool parties."

"I'm not going to change, Kurt."

"You don't sound particularly convinced of that."

"_I'm not going to change, Kurt._ Better?"

Blaine laughed, and Kurt tried to.

"Look, I'm sorry. Let's just forget it, okay?"

But even though he'd said it, I knew Kurt wasn't really ready to forget it.

Blaine kissed him.

"Thank you. It's going to be great. You'll see. Besides, _I_ happen to know that you've dipped your own feet into the waters of McKinley High School sports, mister... the football team _and_ the Cheerios? Really?"

Kurt gasped.

"_How_ could you have possibly found out about that?"

"Carole's got scrapbooks. We had a great laugh, actually."

"Oh my God. Besides, that was _totally_ different than this."

"How so?"

"Well, for one, my reasons were entirely uninformed. I thought that it was something I _needed_ to do, when, really, I couldn't have been more wrong."

"And what if _I_ -"

"Are you _actually _doing this again?"

Finn.

I just about jumped out of my skin and took as many steps as I could away from the door.

"You know, one day, they're going to find out that you listen to their personal stuff, and it's not gonna be pretty!"

I sighed.

"_No_, they're not gonna find out about this, because _you're_ not gonna tell them."

He laughed.

"Only if you tell me what they're talking about in there. Anything good?"

Finn leaned his ear to the door, and I pulled him away.

"Anything you actually needed to say?"

He straightened up and struggled to be serious.

"Yes, actually. As a matter of fact, there's this party tonight... for the basketball team. And I was just about to tell Blaine so that we could ask you if we could, you know... go."

I smiled.

It was the first time any of them had actually been brave enough to ask me for something since the Lady Gaga concert.

But this one was different.

Kurt needed to get used to Blaine going to things like this, and it'd be a good first step for all of them. _And_ for me.

"Yeah, sure. Where's the party?"

He wasn't expecting me to say yes.

"Really? I mean... great. Thanks. It's at Puck's."

"Just don't be late?"

"Of course."

I stepped to the side to let him knock on Kurt's door and talk to Blaine, but as he grabbed the doorknob, he stopped to listen to what they were saying instead.

And I might have... joined him.

Blaine couldn't stop laughing.

He pulled Kurt up off the bed, and I could hear their feet shuffling as Blaine pulled him close.

"Say, you still got those tight white pants?"

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know?"

Blaine groaned.

"I bet you do."

Kurt laughed.

"It wouldn't matter even if I did, because I've grown at least five inches since then, and they wouldn't fit me. So, _there_."

Blaine gasped.

"The cursed growth spurt strikes again. We'll just have to buy you a new pair."

"Oh, I don't know. Your ass would look better in them than mine anyway."

"Then we'll have to buy _me _a new pair."

"We'll see about that."

And then they were quiet.

I looked to Finn who was trying so hard not to laugh.

I didn't get it.

"Why'd they stop talking?"

He looked right at me with the goofiest grin.

"Burt, they're making out."

I stepped away from the door and made my way to the stairs.

"Aren't you gonna say something about this?"

I didn't even turn around.

"You're the one with something to say, remember?"

I laughed as I made my way down the stairs and into the living room.

That party was a bit of an eye-opener for everyone involved.

Kurt wasn't happy about it at all. Not one bit.

But it's not like he had any place to tell Blaine that he couldn't go, even if it was the last thing he wanted him to do. And Blaine did assure him that he'd be able to go to the next one, that this one was just for the team... and girls.

Kurt _really_ didn't like that part, but he kept his mouth shut.

And he stayed in all night watching a movie in the living room with Carole and me, waiting to hear all the details when they finally got home.

Except they didn't come home on their own.

Instead, Kurt got a call from Blaine that he had to run into the kitchen to answer, to keep us right out of earshot.

I only heard snippets.

"Are you okay? ... Slow down, what? ... Seriously, Blaine? ... Finn's even worse than you? ... Yeah, I'm on my way."

Kurt hung up the phone and stayed glued to his spot, trying to collect his thoughts enough to return to the living room and explain whatever was happening to us.

And when he finally did, it wasn't pretty.

"Okay, well. It seems like your son and my boyfriend have had quite the night and will be needing my assistance."

He sighed in irritation.

"I'll be back soon."

Except that he wasn't back soon.

Instead, he slowly creaked open the door an hour later, when Carole had already gone to bed.

Blaine had an arm slung around his shoulders and was completely focused on kissing his left ear.

He saw me and tried to push Blaine off of him.

"Thank you, that's really enough."

Blaine stopped but stumbled backwards trying to close the door behind him.

He was definitely drunk, and Kurt was definitely pissed.

But there was no Finn in sight.

"You lose someone?" I called from the couch.

Kurt sighed.

"He was too heavy for us to carry, so we just gave up and left him there."

"That bad, huh?"

Kurt gave me a look that I knew meant _worse_, and Blaine walked over to the couch and sat next to me.

I could tell that he'd been dealing with Blaine doing exactly the opposite of what he wanted him to do for the last hour as he marched after us and tried to reason with him.

"No, no, no, you've got to go upstairs. Time for bed, Blaine."

But Blaine was just sitting there staring at me with the sweetest smile on his face, completely ignoring the fact that Kurt wanted him to get up.

He was really something.

And I wasn't ready to give up the opportunity just yet.

"Hey, Kurt, how about I take him off your hands for the night?"

Kurt hesitated, remembering my past feelings on having a drunk Blaine in the house.

"You're sure?"

I looked at Blaine, who was still staring at me, and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I've got this one."

Kurt heaved a sigh of relief and retreated up the stairs.

I really needed to read this kid.

He wasn't drunk. Not really. He was just about as tipsy as he could get without actually being sloppy or impossible to deal with. He could walk and talk just fine... he was just a little out of it.

"Can I tell you something?"

And a little bit chatty.

I was intrigued.

"Yeah, go for it."

I was smiling, but he was very serious.

"I didn't try out for the basketball team because I like basketball."

He was practically waiting for the world to explode, and I was just waiting for him to actually tell me what that was supposed to mean.

"Okay. Uh, anything else?"

He looked like he was about to cry.

"Didn't you hear what I said?"

I smiled.

"Yeah, buddy, I heard you. Do you want me to say something else about it?"

He hadn't even considered it.

He sighed and leaned back on the couch, looking away from me for the first time.

"It was really stupid. I know that already, so you don't have to tell me. I already know it."

I was trying not to laugh.

"What was really stupid?"

His jaw dropped a little bit.

"_Trying out for the basketball team._"

He was like a puzzle box. Only one piece fits into the next, and only the most specific question could get you the answer you were looking for.

"Well, _how_ was that stupid exactly?"

He sighed and looked right at me again, his smile even sweeter than before.

"I did it for you, Dad. Isn't that stupid?"

_Dad. _I flashed back to when he was sick and a complete mess, and he'd called me that. It was the same thing, really. He still wasn't in his right mind, but I was still smiling. It was all about baby steps with Blaine, small victories. And that moment was _more_ than one of those.

But there was still so much to what he'd said.

"You did it for me?"

He nodded, not understanding that I was asking him to elaborate.

"How do you mean, Blaine?"

He gulped.

"You like Kurt. And you like Finn. I just wanted you to like me too. So, I wanted to do something that might make you like me."

He paused, and I wasn't sure what to say.

"Did it work?"

He was staring at me again, his eyes so wide and also so drunk.

I was proud of myself for finding the question so easy to answer.

"No, it didn't. Because I already like you, Blaine. For you. You be you, and I'll always like you. I'll like you a whole lot more than a Blaine who's trying to be someone he's not, alright? You don't have to play basketball or do anything you don't want to do for _me_."

I paused.

"That's not fair to anybody, you know? You don't get a chance to be you, and I don't get a chance to like the real you."

I wasn't even sure if he had actually understood anything that I'd just said, so I tried to make it as simple as possible.

"I like you a lot, buddy. Don't forget that, alright?"

"I don't want you to adopt me."

It blurted out of him like a speeding bullet, and it was easily the most surprising thing I'd ever heard come out of his mouth.

I think it surprised him too, because he suddenly started blinking in rapid succession, and his face scrunched up like he was trying to remember why he'd ever say something that out of context in the first place.

I always knew that'd be how he felt about me asking to adopt him.

I'd really only gotten the papers as more of a gesture, as something that would get him to open up a little bit more and really feel like a part of the family.

Above all, I didn't ever want him to feel uncomfortable with anything that happened under my roof, and my feelings weren't hurt in the slightest. I was actually sort of relieved.

He was being completely honest with me, regardless of how tipsy he was, and that was all I'd ever really wanted.

"I mean, I _do_."

_Oh, dear God._

"But there's this secret. There's this... this other I do."

I had no idea what he was saying.

"I can't tell you what it is."

I smiled. It was back to the puzzle box.

"You can't even give me a hint?"

He laughed, and he leaned his head on my shoulder. I couldn't help but think of the similarities between him and Kurt... and how _Finn_ would never do something like that.

"Okay, fine. I'll tell you."

He took a deep breath, and I waited.

"I'm going to marry your son."

He started laughing, and it was like butterflies were flying out of his mouth, he was so happy.

It was a big statement and one I wondered if he'd even remember saying the next day.

I went along with it.

"You think so?"

He sat up again and looked right into my eyes, like what he was about to say were the most important words he would ever utter.

"I know so."

And you know what? I think he really did. In that moment, there was no doubt in his mind. He might as well have gone right out and bought the rings, because they were getting married, no question about it.

I smiled. He was a sweet kid.

"Well, I'll be on the front row for the wedding. How about that?"

He started laughing.

"You only get to come if you wear your Tony Orlando tuxedo."

And that made me laugh.

I couldn't even believe he'd remembered that.

"It's a deal."

I paused.

"Now, let's get you upstairs, come on."

He stood up, and I put a hand on the small of his back to guide him to his room.

"Can I tell you another secret?"

He was actually walking up the stairs, and if hearing another secret would keep him walking, I was all for it.

"Sure thing."

He smiled.

"Your son is _really_ pretty."

I chuckled.

"Is he now?"

We were walking down the hallway.

"Oh, yeah. And _especially_ when we're in bed, and he's su-"

"Woah, hey, now. No, thank you. I'll take your word for it."

He started giggling, and when we finally made it to his room, he wasn't quite ready to go inside just yet.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around me, and I realized that that was the first time I'd ever really given him a proper hug.

I soaked in the moment.

He didn't want me to adopt him, but I was still his father, and I was still giving him a hug.

He let go and yawned.

I watched him get into bed still fully clothed and slowly closed the door behind me.

And as I was thinking of exactly how I would torture him the next day for coming home drunk, I remembered the one thing that I still had to do.

I knocked on Kurt's door and peaked into his room.

He was already in bed as well with a book open in his lap and his chin propped up by his elbow.

He could not have looked more exhausted.

"Hey, Dad. You need something?"

I took a step into the room.

"Just wanted to say goodnight and tell you that, well... that you've got nothing to worry about, okay?"

He smiled coyly.

"I've got nothing to worry about?"

He knew what I meant. I know he did.

"Goodnight, Kurt."

He shut his book, and he believed me.

"Goodnight, Dad."

And that night... I dreamt of Tony Orlando.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear what you thought of it if you get a chance! :)<p> 


	23. The Love

Thank you SO much for all of the incredible reviews, well-wishes on my final, and birthday wishes! I have so loved reading every single one of them, and they all helped me ace that test and make my birthday so special! You guys never cease to make me smile, and are seriously just THE BEST! :)

Now, without further adieu, here's what I promised you with the last chapter... Valentine's Day!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>I'll never forget that February fourteenth.<p>

Everything about that day will always put a smile on my face and will always remind me that making Blaine a part of my family was one of the best decisions that anyone could ever make.

Still, it didn't start off so great.

Blaine was still trying to keep his big Warbler secret, and I was still trying to coax it out of him.

I didn't like that he felt like he had to keep the whole thing a secret from me in the first place.

I knew _why_ he was doing it, but I still didn't like it.

And, even worse, the day that I _did_ finally catch him going to Westerville, we were both already in bad moods.

It was the week before Valentine's Day, and I was in the driveway tuning up Finn's car with a pounding headache. And when he stepped outside, he was clearly under the impression that making it out of the house meant that he was as good as gone.

Which is why he just about fainted when he saw me standing there.

"Going somewhere?"

He already knew it was a lost cause. I could see it in the way he straightened his shoulders, the way his eyes widened and how he started biting the inside of his cheek.

But he wasn't ready to give up the fight, because he was stressed out and anxious to get on the road, and would say just about anything to get me to change my mind.

"Yeah... Westerville, actually."

I sighed, barely looking up from Finn's car.

I didn't even need to think about the answer.

"I don't think so. Not on a school night."

He put on the puppy dog eyes and stuffed his hands into his pockets, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"I'm not even going to stay for very long, honestly. If I'm home before curfew, then what's the -"

"I said no, Blaine."

I wasn't buying the act, and I wasn't in the mood for an argument or even a rational discussion about the whole thing.

Maybe if it'd been another time, another place, less of a throbbing in my head... but it wasn't, and both of us were at the end of our ropes.

And my answer only made him even more empowered to fight it.

"You would let _Kurt_ come to visit _me_ on school nights. How is this any different?"

It was the tone in his voice, that teenage attitude of superiority. In his mind, I couldn't possibly be more wrong about anything in the world, and he had every intention to continuously remind me of that fact.

"Because _Kurt _is right here, and he could only go see you, because, well... you were _you_."

Making his argument completely invalid was my first objective, but I can't deny that I was also hoping that he would just understand how important he was to Kurt, to all of us, and that it was time to drop the whole thing.

But he was still a teenager, and he still wanted to get his own way.

"They're my friends."

I knew that. Of course I knew that.

But I had still made a decision. And I was still the one who _got_ to make the decision. Not him.

"Then they can wait until it's not a school night. Go next weekend."

He was fuming, and I guess I can't really blame him. Things weren't going his way, and he already knew good and well that they never would, no matter how guilty he tried to make me feel about it.

"They _can't_ wait. This is really important."

There was something he wasn't telling me. More secrets, even more of a reason for me to tell him no.

I was getting irritated.

"What, are they all gonna be dead before the weekend?"

That only made him even more pissed.

"_No_, but -"

"Then they can wait."

They really couldn't wait, but I had no way of knowing that. Because right then and there, I was pissed and _he_ was pissed, and I just wanted to finish with Finn's car so that I could lie down and get rid of my headache.

I outstretched my hand.

"Hand 'em over."

He looked down at the keys in his hand but didn't move.

He was still adamant in proving to me that I was in the wrong, that I was committing some huge injustice against him just for keeping him in Lima for the night.

"This isn't fair."

I didn't really care if it was fair or not. Because I knew that I was doing the right thing, that he couldn't lie to me and sneak around and still get what he wanted.

_That_ wasn't fair to me.

And that was the final straw.

"Last time I checked, I get to decide that. You're not going to Westerville tonight."

He rolled his eyes.

"End of story."

He nodded and shoved his car keys into my hand and turned to walk back into the house without another word.

I'd won that one, but I wasn't ready to let it go.

"And if you keep up the attitude, Blaine?"

He turned around to face me, his hand already on the doorknob.

"You'll be lucky to get to go at all this weekend."

Of all the things that he could have been feeling, it was _regret_ that I saw in his eyes. But only a flash that was quickly replaced by his previous anger.

He didn't say a word. Just stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him.

I think that was probably the first time I ever really realized just how much of a teenager he was.

He wanted things to go his way, he wasn't going to change his mind for anything in the world, and he'd be damned if he didn't make sure that I knew just how right he was and how wrong I'd always be.

He was usually so polite and understanding and non-confrontational. But he was still seventeen, and he was still keeping another huge secret.

_What could possibly be so important that he was willing to get into an argument with me over it?_

But at the moment, I didn't really care. I was still trying to get over my headache, and I knew that he was still trying to get over his frustration.

Yeah, tensions were running high around Valentine's Day.

And, for some reason, Blaine was always exhausted in the days that followed our fight. I felt like I was always finding him and Kurt passed out on top of each other on the living room couch.

I thought it was cute. And it was keeping Blaine in Lima. He couldn't lie to me about where he was if he was falling asleep every afternoon after school.

The only problem was that I wasn't the only one who would walk in on them there everyday... but, of the five people that lived in that house, there was one who _didn't_ find them cute.

I remember one day in particular, when Carole and I were making dinner in the kitchen and Finn wanted to watch a game in the living room while Kurt and Blaine were still sound asleep.

Finn turned on the television and turned the volume up just a little bit louder than was really necessary.

I looked to Carole, and she had the same look on her face as I did.

But we figured that he just felt like having the TV really loud or that maybe he was just trying to mess with them for a minute.

Until Blaine woke up.

He was very polite about it and careful to make sure that he didn't wake Kurt up as well.

"Hey, Finn? Could you turn it down just a little bit?"

Finn pretended not to notice, and, instead, he just made it even louder.

Carole stopped cutting the green beans to pay attention.

"Come on, man. Stop being an ass. Turn it down."

He was tired, and he'd asked a simple question. We both knew that this wasn't going to turn out well, not with two stubborn, irritated boys starting a petty argument. But we wanted them to try to work it out for themselves.

"You... turn it down."

_What_?

It was kind of a stupid thing for Finn to say, and by the look on Blaine's face, I clearly wasn't the only one who thought so.

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means."

Blaine sat up, gently lowering Kurt into a comfortable position.

Carole and I could both feel it escalating, but we stayed out of it.

"What, you don't like that Kurt and I are trying to sleep here?"

Finn smirked but kept his eyes on the television, turning the volume up even louder.

"Yeah, we'll call it that."

I didn't know what was wrong with him, but I could tell that _Carole_ did.

She turned to me.

"How about, when this blows up, you take Finn, and I'll -"

"Hey, what the hell is your problem?"

Blaine was suddenly standing across the room, hovering over Finn's chair.

"- take Blaine? I think Finn could use your advice on this one."

"_My _problem? The two of you practically getting it on in the living room really sounds like more of _all _of our problems to me."

There was so much going on, and I was trying to keep every line of communication in frame.

I quickly agreed with Carole, both because she was right _and_ because she was a lot better at calming Blaine down in situations like that than I was.

I was also starting to get a little freaked out by Finn. He never pulled crap like that, and I knew something really had to be wrong with him.

"It's called _sleeping_, Finn. And completely clothed at that. But now I see that that's not really what this is about, is it?"

Blaine smiled in satisfaction.

"_We're _getting some, and _you're _not."

It all happened so fast.

Finn immediately stood up and shoved Blaine to the ground, and before I could even move, Blaine was back on his feet and had grabbed Finn around the waist and tackled _him_ to the ground.

The two of them were wrestling across the living room floor, and as I tried to pull them apart, a newly awaken and very confused Kurt tried to figure out what on earth was happening around him.

It really only took one good yank of Blaine's sweater to pull him to his feet and away from Finn, but it still took all of my strength to hold him still and get him to calm down. I could feel his heart just about beating out of his chest, and I had to wonder if he got like that every time he defended Kurt.

Finn stood up and straightened his shirt, quickly coming to his senses and realizing that he really _why _they were fighting in the first place.

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on here?"

Kurt was still sitting on the couch, sleepily trying to fix his hair.

Blaine's entire body immediately relaxed, and I let go of him as his face flooded with regret.

He'd woken up Kurt, and he'd made a huge mistake.

"Finn, I'm really -"

"No, man, I shouldn't have -"

"No, but I -"

"Hey, no, you didn't. I'm sorry, bro."

"Yeah."

He paused.

"Me too."

And I hadn't even said a single word yet. Those two really got each other as guys. They fought, but they got over it. It was actually that simple with the two of them.

One minute, they were tearing each other apart, and the next, they were best friends again and even calmer than when the whole thing had started.

I looked at Carole who had just stepped into the living room and was clearly trying to make sure that I hadn't forgotten our deal even though the entire thing had suddenly resolved itself.

I looked to Kurt, who could not have been more confused.

And back to Finn who was finally turning the volume down on the television.

I stepped up.

"Hey, Finn, maybe we should -"

"Yeah, that's... that's probably a good idea."

Carole smiled and sat down next to Kurt on the couch as I led Finn into the garage.

He was still taking deep breaths, really trying to reason with himself and figure the whole thing out.

"Hey, Burt, I have no idea what came over me, honestly. I didn't mean to -"

"It's Rachel, isn't it?"

It was pretty obvious, actually.

Valentine's Day was right around the corner, and Kurt and Blaine had been publicly _snuggling_ every single day. He was alone, and it was hard to be alone when everyone else around you was with someone and couldn't possibly be happier about it.

He sighed and sat down on a stool.

"Yeah... yeah, it is."

He looked so upset.

That girl was really great at a lot of things, and the one we all hated was how she knew exactly what moves to make to toy with his heart and get him like this.

He was in love and he was frustrated and he needed to take it out on someone.

And that someone just turned out to be Blaine.

"You wanna talk about it?"

He sighed and threw his head back, trying to figure out for himself if it was even worth saying.

But he knew it was. We both did.

And he needed me to tell him that.

"She... she put on this huge thing in the auditorium today. She sang me a love song, Burt."

He looked me square in the eyes.

"She tried to get me back."

From everything that had happened and even just from his body language, I could tell that she hadn't succeeded.

"And you didn't let her, huh?"

He shook his head.

"No, I walked out, but I didn't really give her much of an answer either way, though."

It was tough being a teenager in love. And he really did love her. He knew that. I knew that. But it didn't change how upset she'd made him when she broke up with him, and it didn't change how angry he still was at her.

But I could tell that he was also conflicted.

"It's like... I know it's time to move on, and it's time to do something for me instead of for her. But I don't really know how. I don't know how to shake her."

He had no idea if he'd made the right decision.

Because he did love her. And he did want her back.

He just... couldn't.

It made perfect sense. His heart wanted one thing, but his head knew better.

And I was actually really impressed. At his age, I would have taken her back without a second thought, but Finn? _He'd_ thought about it. He'd chosen to give the real Finn a shot and let the real Finn work it all out without Rachel by his side.

But he still needed my help.

And I had no idea what to say.

"You shake her by... you shake her by remembering that you're better than her."

He had no idea what that meant.

I'm not sure if I really did either, but I rolled with it.

"You're stronger than her, Finn, and you deserve to be happy without her bringing you down."

I leaned up against my truck.

"You deserve to be... to be Finn, you know? No one should ever get to take that away from you or keep you from being you."

His eyes were squinted in concentration, but I knew that he was still questioning my reasoning.

"Look, I'm not saying that you should kick her to the curb forever."

His head popped up in surprise.

"Because I know that you love her, and I know that she can make you really happy too."

He was waiting for the _but_.

"But, you know -"

He sighed.

"- I think it might help to see what it's like to be happy without her too."

He knew I was right.

"Take some time for yourself. Enjoy what's left of high school, because you haven't got much time left, you know."

It was the first time I'd said that out loud, and I was actually starting to get terrified at the prospect of all three of them being away from home.

But it wasn't nearly time for that talk, and I pushed it to the back of my mind.

"And if she really loves you, she'll be there when you're ready for her."

I paused.

"And if you really love her, you _will _be ready before... before it's too late."

I could tell that he didn't really want to think about what being too late would actually mean either.

I patted him on the back, and he stood up.

"Yeah, you'll be ready one day. Just remember that it doesn't have to be today, alright?"

He smiled and nodded.

He was simple, but he was complicated. He needed to be alone, but he needed to be with Rachel.

I knew he'd make the right decision.

He was a smart kid.

And the next day, when I got a call from McKinley at work, I actually had to wonder if, between him and Blaine, _he_ was the one with a drop of sense.

I could not have been angrier.

I actually think that _that_ was the angriest I'd ever been at Blaine.

And as I marched into that school and saw him rubbing his temple through the glass walls of the principal's office, I could tell that he was fully expecting everything he had coming to him.

We walked out to the car in silence, with him always a few steps behind me and his hands shoved in his pockets.

I was trying to calm myself down, to talk to him as reasonably as I could without blowing up at him as soon as we got to the car, regardless of how much he deserved it.

I knew that he had to have some kind of logical explanation, and there was no way I was ever going to hear it if I lost him as soon as we started talking.

But when we both got to the car, he couldn't look at me.

His eyes were firmly glued to his hands in his lap.

And I knew that I couldn't even start that car until he started talking to me.

"Anything you wanna say?"

He shut his eyes and shook his head.

Whatever it was, he wasn't going to tell me. Keeping the secret was more important than however angry I was.

And in that moment, that fact only made me angrier.

"You know, an explanation would be nice, Blaine."

My voice was louder than I had planned, and he was already starting to shiver from the cold.

He knew that he had to say something if he ever wanted to get out of that parking lot.

"I tried to go to Westerville. Coach Sylvester caught me. They called you, and now we're here."

He paused, daring himself to give me something that I didn't already know.

But, instead...

"I'm sorry, and it won't happen again."

His voice was completely monotone, and I figured he'd been practicing that little speech as he waited for me to show up.

I knew that it was going to take a lot to get him to tell me the real reason he'd tried to skip school, so, instead, I tried to get him to tell me something else.

Something just as important.

"You know, we talked about this, Blaine."

He froze.

"We sat down, and you promised me that this kind of stuff wasn't going to happen. You promised me that you would never lie to me. Do you remember that? Because the last time I checked, you and I don't get to break promises here."

He finally looked at me, and I could not have been more surprised by the Blaine that I saw.

He was so scared, and so tired, and already trying to blink the tears out of his eyes.

"I never lied to you."

I could tell that he really believed it, that he couldn't see a single thing wrong with what he'd done.

And from that, I knew that I had to be as calm and reasonable as possible.

He was terrified and had no idea how to handle a situation like this, and I had to remember that as much as he emulated Kurt and Finn at times, he _wasn't_ them. He was Blaine, and I couldn't let myself forget that.

"Then what do you call all of this?"

He was trying so hard to pick the right words to say.

"Secret keeping?"

I sighed, and he panicked.

"_I'm sorry_, okay?"

The words cut through his throat like a knife. He was so upset, and he couldn't keep the tears from falling.

"But you don't understand. And I can't explain it. So, you can do whatever you want to me, but I can't tell you what's going on. I just need you to... I need you to trust me."

He looked right at me with all of the sincerity in the world.

"Please."

I knew that I only had two options.

I could trust him, or I couldn't. And, really, it wasn't even a question. He needed me to believe him, and even though I wasn't happy about it at all, I knew that I'd get my answer eventually.

And I knew that he wouldn't try it again any time soon.

Because Valentine's Day was that week, and he had big plans with Kurt. He wasn't going to do anything else to jeopardize that.

I just needed to be patient.

I figured I'd try to talk to him later, when we both had our heads on straight, when we weren't in the McKinley High School parking lot, and when I didn't need to get back to work.

So, I turned on the car, and we didn't say another word the entire drive home.

And when we _did_ get home, he even handed me his car keys without me having to ask for them.

"It's not going to happen again."

He opened the door and stepped out of the truck.

"I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it."

He shut the door behind him, and I waited to make sure he got inside the house alright.

I really and truly believed that he was telling me the truth. Because we didn't break promises, and he was too good of a kid to risk my trust.

And when I got home that night, I found him already asleep in bed.

And even though I'd planned to talk to him the next day, he was already out with Kurt and Carole when I woke up.

But Finn, on the other hand, was eager and ready to talk to me as soon as I met him downstairs.

"Burt, hey. You got a minute?"

He was never that enthusiastic about having a conversation with me, especially on a Saturday morning.

I had all the minutes in the world.

I made us some toast, and he told me all about Rachel.

"You were right. You, she... she's great. She's awesome, she really is, but it's Finn time. And, you know what? I think I'm really going to enjoy this."

He was smiling, and he jammed a huge piece of toast into his mouth.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"That's great, Finn."

I paused.

"You know, I'm really proud of you. I really think you're making the right decision here."

That was the first time I'd ever seen his eyes really light up like that, the first time there wasn't a single trace of that pain that was always so present.

He smiled through the toast, and I knew that my words meant so much to him in that moment, so much more than I could ever understand.

"I'm gonna go solo for Valentine's Day. I think I'll take myself out to dinner at Breadstix, maybe even pick up a box of chocolates on the way home."

He laughed and picked up another piece of toast.

"Say, what are you and mom doing for Valentine's Day?"

You and mom. Not you and _my _mom. It was like I was dad.

But I really didn't have too much planned for Valentine's Day. I was going to take Carole to dinner at her favorite restaurant and try to convince the guys to stay out of the house for as long as possible.

But that was it, really.

"Oh, nothing too special but still very nice. Why do you ask?"

He wasn't expecting that question.

"Oh, um... I was just thinking that maybe I could... you know, I could help or something. I could help make it special. Yeah, I'll talk to her, and since I've got nowhere to be, I can plan something really great for you guys."

I wasn't sure how great Finn was at event planning.

I mean, the kid had forgotten to scrub off a hand stamp that gave them all up, for God's sake.

"Well, Kurt'll help me so that it'll actually be, you know... great."

I laughed and accepted.

Let him take his mind off of Rachel. Let him come up with one of his Finn schemes. _Let him be Finn._

And when it was finally Valentine's Day, I could not have been more surprised.

Kurt and Blaine left for their own plans, and Carole and I were greeted by Finn in a black suit and a chauffeur's hat.

He was really serious about this, and I certainly wasn't going to stop him.

Until I realized that Finn had passed the restaurant that we were supposed to be eating at.

I leaned forward from the backseat of the car.

"Uh, buddy, you wanna tell me where we're going?"

He smiled.

"It's all part of the plan, just relax. Finn's got you covered."

And all I could think about was Carole telling me the story of how Finn had run over a mailman with his car once.

Still... I tried to relax.

Until he parked the car in front of a foreclosed store with all of the windows blacked out.

I looked to Carole, who was even more confused than I was.

"Alright, here we are."

Finn turned off the car, and before either of us could protest, he was opening Carole's door for her.

We were clearly in for an adventure.

He led us to the front of the store, and I could hear music coming from inside.

Finn's smile was so huge, and, much to my surprise, every piece of the puzzle fell into place when he opened that door.

It was just an empty showroom floor, but the whole room had been decorated so perfectly, so romantically.

And there they were.

"You really like it?"

Kurt looked like he was about to fall over right there.

"Like it? Blaine, I... I don't even know what to say. It's... perfect. It couldn't be more perfect. _You _couldn't be more perfect, you know that?"

They kissed, and they hadn't even noticed us come in.

And somehow _I _hadn't even noticed the source of the music.

The Warblers were congregated in the back corner, finishing off the end of what I'm pretty sure was "Silly Love Songs."

Finn cleared his throat to get their attention.

Blaine quickly snapped around and smiled at me.

It was the perfect smile for the occasion, the "Don't you get it now?" smile.

And I did get it. And Kurt was right, it couldn't be more perfect.

They walked over to us, and Carole was still completely dumbfounded.

"Guys, what is all this?"

Finn looked to Blaine, and they smiled at each other.

"Well," Blaine started, "first, I couldn't have done this without Finn's help."

"No way. This was all you, man."

"No, it wasn't. You kept a straight face through the whole thing _and _got them here in one piece. You were essential."

Finn laughed, and they bumped fists.

Blaine turned back to us.

"Carole, you told me the other day how you've wanted to go dancing for ages, but you could never find the time."

She was amazed that he had remembered that.

"And, well, these guys sort of owed me one."

He laughed.

"This is for you."

He looked right at me.

"It's for all of us."

He was such a great kid, and he'd worked so hard, and it all finally made perfect sense.

Why he was so tired, why he so desperately needed to be in Westerville, why he was keeping secrets...

He wasn't doing it for him. He was doing it for us.

He was doing it, because he cared so much about his family, because he wanted all of us to be happy and have the best Valentine's Day ever.

And as the night wore on and Finn joined the Warblers to take what had always been Blaine's place, we danced and we laughed and we enjoyed ourselves.

I watched my son fall in love with Blaine all over again, as all of the Valentine's Day memories from the year before were completely washed away and Blaine sang all of the words into his ear for only them to hear.

They sang our wedding song, and I knew right then that _that_ was it.

That was what Valentine's Day was all about.

Not stupid cards or expensive roses, but love.

And _that_ was love.

Loving your wife, loving your kids, loving everything card you'd been dealt, because they'd all led up to that moment.

And when Carole and I finally left to give Kurt and Blaine their time alone and meet our real dinner reservation, Blaine jogged across the room to us.

"Burt, I just wanted to say -"

I held up my hand and laughed.

"You win this one, alright?"

He smiled and shook my hand.

"I'll take it."

We were both so happy, and I couldn't keep my feelings to myself.

"Love you, kid."

And it was in that moment that I realized that I had never really said that to Blaine, at least not like I'd always said it to Kurt. I'd only said it when I was being very serious, never in such a nonchalant way, never like he was my son and always had been.

I could see it in his face.

It was that one thing that he'd always thought was so out of reach, so impossible to ever really get his fingers around, and for the first time in his life, he'd caught it.

"Yeah, uh... love you too."

He was beaming, and he couldn't believe it.

It was Valentine's Day, and he was surrounded by people who loved him.

And all of it, everything in the world was simply... lovely.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll send me your thoughts if you get the chance! :)<p> 


	24. The Musical

First, I would just like to apologize a million times over for ever implying that chapter twenty-three was the end of this story. It most certainly is NOT! Trust me, when this story is over, you will all know it, because I will probably be crying all the way through the author's note. :) That being said, I have plans to take this chapter to chapter thirty. At least, I want more than anything in the world to write this story to chapter thirty. So, unless you object, to chapter thirty we go! :D I could not be more excited to share more of these tales with all of you, and I really hope you like all that is to come!

Next, I would just like to THANK YOU a million times over for all of your reviews for the last chapter. I still have no idea how a little story about a boy bringing a mechanic some coffee made it to more than 700 reviews, but it is all because of YOU, and I cannot thank you enough for always being so supportive and having some of the nicest things I have ever heard in my life to say about this story! Each and every review touches my heart so profoundly, and it is because of all of you that I get to be so excited to do something that I love!

Additionally, I'd like to thank you for all of the publicity you've given this story! The traffic on this story for the last two days was record breaking and absolutely through the roof. Seriously, I could not believe my eyes when I saw how many people had viewed this story! Plus, there have been so many new readers added in the last two days! I've heard from a lot of you that you found this story on Tumblr, and I have no idea how it got there, but I am flattered out of my mind to hear that you all like this story enough to share it with your friends! THAT IS SO COOL! :D

Lastly, I just wanted to tell you guys that I had the absolute worst idea I have ever had in my life a few hours ago. I was in the middle of writing this chapter, and I just thought to myself, "What if none of this was real? Like, what if we'd actually lost Burt in Grilled Cheesus, and Blaine was making up this entire story in his head while he was trying to fall asleep at his dad's house, trying to understand what it would be like to live in a real family with Kurt and get to know this man that he's only heard about through everything that Kurt has told him?" Of course, then I proceeded to weep in the style of a drunk Santana for the next ten minutes. So, I am just going to let you know… that would NEVER happen at the end of this story, because I'm pretty sure I'd need to jump off a bridge if I made that some kind of horrible, sick epilogue.

Anyways...

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>Kurt finally finished his Pippa Middleton musical.<p>

And after he got it through Schuester and Figgins, the glee club was finally ready to perform it.

Kurt wasn't expecting much of a turnout, but Carole and I could not have been more excited to see it. It was the first time we'd be able to watch all three of them on stage at the same time... and in something that Kurt had written too.

And with every passing day, Kurt got a little bit more anxious.

There were so many costumes to check and songs to rehearse and dance moves to perfect.

And on top of that, the glee club was also preparing for regionals.

And on top of _that_, college acceptance letters were starting to arrive.

I'll never forget the day Blaine ran into the house with a huge grin on his face and screaming like he'd just won the lottery. He was waving the mail around in the air and actually forgot to close the front door behind him as he leapt up the stairs, taking them two at a time to get to Kurt as quickly as possible.

"Hey, slow down, cowboy. You're getting snow all over the place!"

"Sorry!"

I just laughed as I heard Blaine knock on Kurt's door and yell his name over and over again.

"_Kurt! _Kurt, Kurt, Kurt, open up! _They're here!_"

The door immediately flew open, and both of them came tumbling back down the stairs to open them together.

They sat down on the couch and tried to take as many deep breaths as they could muster.

"Okay," Blaine started, "are you ready for this?"

They were both so excited and so nervous and so terrified of whatever was in those envelopes.

"Together?"

"Together."

They sorted through the envelopes, passed the right ones to each other, and put Finn's aside for him to open once he got home.

"Okay, well, which one first?"

"Columbia," Kurt suggested. "Let's get the hard rejection out of the way first."

Blaine laughed.

"Good idea."

They both ripped open their envelopes, and I could feel my heart beat racing.

This was so huge for them, and if _I_ was already freaking out, I couldn't possibly imagine what they were going through.

Blaine read his first, his eyes quickly scanning over the letter.

"Dear Mr. Anderson... the Committee of Admissions... we are sorry to inform you..."

His face fell, and he folded the letter up and put it back in the envelope.

"They should have just said, 'Dear, Loser... you suck.'"

Kurt's eyebrows raised as he read his own letter.

"Ah, Dear Loser... you suck."

He laughed and tossed it aside.

"Still stings, though, doesn't it?"

"It is irrelevant, and we are moving on, Blaine. Their loss."

Blaine laughed.

It was true, after all.

"NYU next?"

Kurt took a deep breath, and they quickly ripped open their envelopes. But before either one of them could read what their letters said, Kurt threw his down onto the couch.

"No, no, I can't do this."

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hands.

"Kurt, look at me."

Kurt looked right into his eyes.

"You can do this. And no matter what it says, we've always got each other. No letter can ever change that."

His eyes were practically sparkling.

Kurt took another deep breath and picked up his envelope again.

A smile immediately burst across Blaine's face, and he couldn't even hide the excitement in his voice.

"Kurt?"

Kurt screamed so loud that my eardrums just about burst into a million pieces.

They were suddenly kissing and crying and every single thing that two guys who'd just had all of their dreams come true could think to do.

I was so happy. It really was one of the most perfect moments in the entire world for them, and none of us could stop smiling.

I moved from my spot by the stairs to right behind the couch.

"Hey, guys, this is incredible, seriously!"

They both jumped like they'd completely forgotten that I was standing there and had seen and heard everything that had just happened.

But they just laughed at each other, and I let the two of them talk my ear off about everything they'd need to do before the fall and all of the shows they were going to see and classes they were going to take...

It was pretty overwhelming, and with every new mention of something, all I could hear was a cash register drawer opening. I was already getting lightheaded, but they were so excited that I just let them ramble on.

We'd figure something out.

But even with all of their excitement, I could see that there was something wrong with Kurt. He was so happy, but he was hiding something. He wasn't telling Blaine something, and that only made the tug at the pit of my stomach even worse.

I only figured it out when the guys went upstairs to do some more New York research.

They'd left their letters in the living room, and it was Kurt's from Columbia that told it all.

He'd gotten in, but he'd lied to Blaine about it.

I knew there had to be a real reason behind it. After everything that had happened at Halloween, Kurt didn't lie to Blaine, not ever.

I couldn't stop staring at the words on the page.

"Dear Mr. Hummel... Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that..."

He'd been accepted to an Ivy League school. My son, the son of a mechanic from Ohio had received a golden ticket to one of the greatest schools in the country.

And he wasn't going to take it.

Now, I knew that it was ultimately Kurt's decision, no matter what. He got to make up his own mind, and he got to go to whatever school he wanted to go to.

I just needed to make sure that he was choosing that school for the right reasons.

So, that night, I didn't leave Kurt's room after I sent Blaine to bed. Instead, I sat down next to my son, and I could see by the look on his face that he knew what was coming.

I held up the letter, and he sighed.

"Right. Okay, go ahead and say it."

I laughed.

"What do you think I'm gonna say, Kurt?"

He crossed his arms.

"You're going to say that I'm making a mistake. _And _that I should have told him."

He was right. That kid got me so well, and he knew that I wasn't going to be happy about him covering up this Columbia thing... which is exactly why it made it even _stranger_ that he even had in the first place.

He knew that I wouldn't be happy about it, but he'd done it anyway.

"Well, have you?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"No, I haven't. And I'm not going to."

Not the right answer.

"Kurt -"

"Dad... I don't want to go to college if Blaine isn't going to be there with me."

Also not the right answer.

He couldn't make a choice like that based on where someone else was going to college. It was the same reasoning that Rachel had made to break up with Finn.

It was the same reasoning that broke up couples all the time and constantly ended in resentment.

I couldn't let him make that same mistake.

"I know that NYU and Columbia are in the same city, but they're on two completely different sides, and the last thing either of us want is some kind of barrier between the two of us. I honestly don't think we could even _handle_ being on opposite sides of the city after living together this year."

He smiled.

"I know that Columbia is a great school, but so is NYU, and I know that I'll be happier there if Blaine's with me."

I got where he was coming from, I really did.

But I wasn't backing down.

I understood how special Blaine was to him. Hell, if there was anyone who understood just how important Blaine Anderson was, it was me.

But Kurt couldn't shape his entire young life around him, even though he wanted to more than anything in the world.

And even though _I _wanted them to stay together forever, they were still two kids in high school. And I couldn't let my son miss out on this chance and regret it for the rest of his life.

"You know, Kurt, I just want what's best for you."

He pursed his lips.

He knew exactly what was coming.

"But I don't want you to write this off just because of Blaine. Look, NYU is amazing, and there is no doubt in my mind that you would be incredibly happy there, but you've been talking about going to the Ivy Leagues ever since you made me sit through all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls."

He smiled.

"All I'm saying is that you need to make this choice for _you_, not for Blaine. You know that he'll support you either way. You just... need to be honest with him, alright?"

He sighed.

"It's a lot more complicated than you think, Dad."

I waited for him to decide if it was worth elaborating on.

"Columbia was always... it was always his father's dream for him. Did you know that?"

I didn't.

"He was a lock-in too, because his father's an alumnus and has donated more money to that school than the net worth of this house, but, obviously, that's not the case now, and I just... I don't feel right going there without him."

And that really _did_ make it a lot more complicated.

Whenever Richard Anderson got involved, things got complicated.

Now, Kurt had to feel like he was betraying Blaine in some way to go to this school that I'm sure that, regardless of how toxic his father's opinion was, Blaine was still secretly hoping he'd get in to.

Just to show him, just to make a father who could never be pleased proud of him.

Because Blaine was the only one who could never understand that making his father proud could never be part of any decision he made.

But he still clung to that hope in a way.

That Columbia might mean something to his dad, or that at least Blaine could tell himself over and over again that it would.

But it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to Blaine, and it wasn't fair to Kurt either.

Both of them were stuck in a bit of a fantasy land, and I was just lucky that Kurt came to the right conclusion on his own.

He sighed.

"But... you're right. It is a great school, and it was always sort of... _the dream _to be as much like Rory Gilmore as possible."

He paused, almost as if he was about to make one of the biggest decisions of his life right then and there.

"Can I sleep on it?"

I smiled.

"That's all I'm asking for."

All I ever wanted was for Kurt to be happy. And it was always the hardest when both options would make him happy... just in two completely different ways.

But, still... Kurt had to do what was best for Kurt, not what was best for Blaine.

And it only got harder on the day of the Pippa Middleton musical.

Blaine and I were in the kitchen while Kurt was at the school making sure that every single detail was absolutely perfect and Finn and Carole were out buying the finishing touches for his Prince William costume.

I was at the table, reading the paper, and Blaine was sitting on top of the counter, reading a magazine and chatting away about that night's performance.

"You know, I think Kurt _still _might be a little upset that he's not getting to play Pippa. I mean, Rachel will be great, but it _is _his show, and he has put a lot of work into it. You'd think the least they could do is let him be Pippa, right?"

I wasn't really been paying attention to the actual words.

"Right."

I was really thinking about how amazing it was that Blaine and I could sit in the kitchen together just as cool as cucumbers, and he could talk for hours about whatever was going through his head.

It felt comfortable and good and _right_.

"At least Rachel's not playing Kate, though, because _that_ would be awkward. They're so weird together now, her and Finn, but Kurt and I are just trying to stay out of it. I guess Santana playing Kate is still pretty awkward, though."

I laughed.

"Yeah, that's kinda weird."

"I think it's going to be really good, though. I'm excited, actually. I haven't been in a musical in ages. It was kind of impossible at Dalton without any girls. We pretty much just had to stick to Shakespeare."

"Oh yeah?"

"But, of course, there will be plenty of musicals once Kurt and I are at NYU. And I'm sure he'll get to play just about any part he wants with that perfect voice of his."

I laughed.

That was probably true. Well... if they both ended up at NYU together, that is.

I was actually a little disappointed that Kurt hadn't told Blaine the truth yet. Sure, it'd only been a few days since we'd talked about it, but Blaine was still completely convinced that he was going to be at NYU with Kurt in the fall.

He didn't have a single thing to question, and it didn't sit well with me.

I stood up to get something to drink, and I immediately felt it.

All of it, everything.

It was fast and hot, and my entire body was suddenly sweating.

That sharp pain in my left arm, that pain that I'd felt about a year earlier and knew so clearly.

I tried to think this time. Do anything, _say_ anything before what I knew was only a few seconds away.

I looked at Blaine, who was so focused on his magazine that he couldn't see me.

"Can you believe that the most expensive hair gel in the world is more than four thousand dollars? _Wow_, what do they even put in this stuff?"

He pulled the magazine even closer to his face to get a better look at it.

I was running out of time.

"Blaine..."

The magazine fell and a look of horror spread across his face.

"Call an ambulance."

I was still conscious, but my legs couldn't support me anymore and the pain was so much that I couldn't think straight.

And when the ambulance got to the house only a few minutes later, Blaine was already a complete wreck. An EMT was trying to ask him questions as they loaded me into the back, and he couldn't understand why things weren't moving faster.

"What's your name, sir?"

It seemed like such a stupid question.

"_My name_? Why the hell does that matter? We need to-"

"Take a deep breath. We're doing everything we can for him. I just need you to tell me your name, please."

He did as he was told and ran a hand over his face.

"Blaine... Blaine Anderson."

"Alright, Mr. Anderson, you can follow us to the hospital, alright?"

_Follow us?_

Blaine was already not in any kind of state to be behind the wheel of a car, and there was no way that he was going to let me out of his sight.

"What? No, you've got to let me come with you. I can't leave him!"

Blaine made a move to get in the ambulance, but the EMT put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"I'm sorry, but only family members get to ride in the ambulance."

The EMT turned away, and Blaine screamed after him.

"No!"

And I'll never forget what he said next.

"I'm his... I'm his son. I'm family. Please."

I was trying so hard to not pay attention to what was happening to me that all I could hear was Blaine pleading with the EMT on the front lawn. I didn't want to analyze what all of the machines and the number of people testing so many different things meant that I focused my attentions elsewhere.

I closed my eyes, and I waited.

"Alright, come on. Get in."

And from then on, I really only have bursts of memories.

I remember Blaine standing by himself, crying and pulling his hair out, trying to reach Carole on his cell phone as they took me into the hospital. I remember hearing Kurt frantically arguing with the doctors. I remember Finn with the blankest look on his face, and I remember Carole trying to calm herself down so that she could keep everybody else calm.

It wasn't until later that night that I fully regained some sense of where I was and what was happening.

And as soon as I started to stir, Kurt was on his feet and by my side, and Carole was calling for a doctor.

I sat up, and I could see that familiar terror in my son's eyes.

I didn't even want to think about what he'd been through, what'd he'd had to feel all over again.

I squeezed his hand, and in that moment, it was just the two of us. Father and son who'd been to hell and back and weren't ever going to give up this fight.

He had to know that I was right there, a little groggy but otherwise perfectly fine, and I wasn't going anywhere.

But when the doctor came into the room, everyone else was up and standing around the bed.

Finn and Carole were to my left, and Blaine was sort of by himself at the end of the bed.

His hair was completely free of gel from pulling at it all night, and he was picking at his fingernail, still too scared to look up at me.

I couldn't blame him, really.

He'd been there for all of it, and he'd had to act so quickly in a situation he never could have been prepared for.

We were all scared.

But the doctor informed us that the attack was very mild and actually not uncommon after everything that had happened the first time.

I think we all sighed in relief, and I suddenly felt better than I had in ages.

I'd survived, and I was going to be okay.

The doctor even said that I could leave the next day if nothing else changed.

We'd gotten lucky this time... but Kurt didn't really see it that way.

"I just don't understand why this happened again. He's been eating right and taking all of his medications. He's done _everything_ right. Wasn't the point of all of it supposed to be that he would get better, not worse?"

The doctor was a little taken aback by Kurt's reaction.

But he did have a point. Over a year of rabbit food and tofu had put me right back in the hospital.

So, if I kept doing what I'd thought was exactly what I was supposed to do to prevent this from happening, was I just going to end up here again the next year?

That didn't seem right.

"Well, there are actually a lot of other variables that could have caused this. Genetics, age, increased stress level... I see there's a new addition to the family, right?"

All eyes were on Blaine, and he slowly raised his head to look at the doctor.

He nodded.

And it was immediately clear to the entire family exactly what Blaine was thinking.

This guy had practically told Blaine right to his face that'd he'd caused me to have a heart attack, even if he hadn't meant it that way.

He gripped the edge of the bed, his knuckles white, trying to keep himself from falling over right there.

In a way, though, he had a point. If there was one thing that I knew for certain about that past year, it was that my stress level had gone through the roof.

I thought about all the times I'd felt particularly stressed since Blaine had moved in.

Our first trip to the doctor, our _second _trip to the doctor, punching his father in the face, punching _Jimmy O'Connor_ in the face, that time he'd thrown Puck down a flight of stairs, the glee club brawl, his breakup with Kurt, that time they'd almost burnt the entire house down, the Lady Gaga concert incident...

Yeah, it was a lot.

But it wasn't Blaine's fault.

It wasn't _any_ of their faults. They were such good kids, and I'd be damned if any of them thought differently.

Eventually, the doctor left, and everyone went back to their seats.

I remember spending that evening laughing over crappy hospital food at all of Finn's heart attack jokes.

He had a surprisingly large number of them, actually, and they even cracked Kurt up a couple of times.

It was Blaine who was having the most trouble being happy.

I knew that he was still reeling at that comment from earlier, and Kurt knew it too.

I wanted to say something to him.

I wanted to say anything and everything that might help him realize that he had absolutely nothing to get upset about, that I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.

I'd have a hundred heart attacks before I let Blaine believe that he was a mistake or a problem, but I didn't know how to say it.

Not with Finn and Carole and Kurt all there. And there was really no such thing as getting him alone when you're in that kind of a situation.

So, I tried to play off the whole thing as if it really wasn't even a big deal, like it was more of a blessing really.

I suggested that they all go home, that I was completely fine to stay by myself for the night, but they all protested.

I guess I should have known that they wouldn't be able to relax until I was home with them and out of harm's way.

And it wasn't until the early hours of the next morning, when I woke up to Kurt and Blaine whispering to each other, that I started to feel better about the whole thing.

"You know, when this happened last year, I was... I was feeling exactly how you're feeling."

I kept my eyes closed and just listened.

The fact that Kurt was feeling as guilty as I could tell Blaine had been feeling earlier was something he'd never told me.

I didn't understand it, and I was glad that Blaine asked the obvious question for me.

"How so?"

Kurt sighed.

"Well, it was before I had any of this, you know? Carole and Finn weren't really a part of the family, and Finn was actually still praying to a sandwich."

Blaine laughed.

"Wh-"

"Another time."

He laughed again, and I realized that Carole and Finn were either sound asleep in the room or gone somewhere.

I waited for Kurt to continue.

"I hadn't even met you yet, and I always felt so... so alone. All the time."

I remembered that so clearly.

Kurt was alone for years before he'd met this perfect guy who he'd so quickly fallen in love with. I think that it was actually part of what made him so perfect, really.

"The only person I had was my dad. And I almost lost him too."

His voice was so powerful, the way it always was when he was just about to start crying.

"The last thing I said to him was that I wasn't going to go to Friday night dinner with Carole and Finn, and the last thing he said to me was that he was disappointed in me."

I had almost completely forgotten about that.

About the fact that I was in a coma for _days_ while my son thought that the very last words I'd ever say to him were that I was disappointed in him.

It was kind of sickening, really.

"Kurt, come here."

Kurt laughed.

"No, I'm okay. Really."

But I still heard the chairs creak as Blaine moved a little bit closer to Kurt and wrapped an arm around him.

Kurt sighed.

"The point is... I felt guilty. I felt like I'd tarnished this one sacred thing, this relationship with my dad that wasn't perfect, but... but was the one thing that I had. It was the one thing that I cherished, and I'd given it up for _The Sound of Music_."

We really did have something special, Kurt and I.

We had something that nothing could mess up, not even _The Sound of Music_, not even skipping a Friday night dinner, not even a heart attack.

Because, for so long, he was all I had.

And even when we did have something more, he was still the little boy I'd held in my arms when he was a baby, and he was still the most sacred thing in my life.

"I felt terrible, like there wasn't any hope left in the world, and that wasn't right. I shouldn't have felt that way, because he was always my dad."

He was softly crying through the words.

"He always will be, and just because I made one terrible decision, it didn't mean that he suddenly didn't love me anymore or wasn't the greatest thing in the world anymore."

He paused.

"I had a reason to feel guilty then, Blaine, but you? You don't. You know that he loves you, and you know that this isn't your fault."

He was right, and he really couldn't have said it better.

I just needed Blaine to believe it.

"No, you're right. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Blaine."

Blaine sighed.

"I just... I just don't know what I'd do if I lost everything all over again."

And _that_ was what it was really about for Blaine.

It was two-sided, really.

He'd almost watched me die. He'd almost physically seen the person he'd finally started to accept as a father disappear right before his eyes, and that alone had just about ripped him to shreds.

But, on top of that, he'd thought it was all his fault.

That _he_ was the reason that they'd almost lost me.

He must have been coming up with ways to leave us all night. To him, the only solution to relieving my stress level was for him to be out of the picture.

And as untrue as it was, it made perfect sense in the mind of someone who had always thought that everything he'd been given was really too good to be true, that he never really deserved any of it in the first place.

That his father had been right.

"I gave up everything in my life to have this... to be with you, and it was the best decision I ever made, Kurt. It always will be."

He sighed.

And I knew that _that_ was what it was really about for Kurt.

That was his answer for Columbia.

Blaine had given up everything for Kurt, and nothing was going to stand in Kurt's way to do the very same thing for Blaine.

And I really didn't mind it in the slightest.

"But today... and all of this? I guess I just saw all of it being ripped away from me so quickly."

He was having trouble with the words, with which feelings were right and wrong to share.

"And that... that is the scariest and most terrifying thing I could ever imagine."

That was really saying something for a kid with a past like Blaine's.

But he wasn't losing _anything_, not if I had anything to say about it.

And I knew that I always would.

"I have no idea how you did this by yourself, Kurt. You are one of the strongest people I've ever met, and I don't know how you do it. I don't know how you can sit here and listen to _me_ get upset about losing you're dad, when he's-"

"He's not just _my_ dad anymore, Blaine."

It was the first time I'd ever heard Kurt say anything like that.

I remembered when he would get upset when I'd hang out with Finn, when he would feel like his entire world was going to crumble if he shared me with anyone else.

It was huge.

"I know that you know that."

He paused, and I almost opened my eyes to see the look on Blaine's face, but I didn't want to risk them ending the conversation early.

"There is nothing in the world that can stand between us, Blaine. _Or_ this family. You have nothing to be afraid of."

He was such a wise kid, and he couldn't have been more right.

"While, yes, I do think that we should probably alter some of our more negative habits, like sneaking off to Lady Gaga concerts, for instance."

And in that moment, I actually had to wonder if they'd done that more than once.

"He's going to be okay, and so are we. At some point, you just have to believe that. You just have to believe that everything is going to work out, because it's too hard not to, and because you love your family, and because you've already been through so much."

It was something he'd learned from experience.

From everything that Kurt had been through in his life, I was so proud of him for being able to hold onto that logic.

He really was a tough kid.

"We've made it this far, right?"

Blaine laughed.

"We have."

"We can't lose, Blaine. The odds are in our favor."

I knew that he really and truly believed every single word of that statement.

"We are going to go to NYU together, and we are all going to be okay."

He paused.

"Okay?"

They both laughed, and I heard the chairs creak again as they moved closer together.

Blaine was always the right thing. He was always the right choice.

Over heart attacks and Ivy League schools, the Hummel men always chose Blaine.

Because he was so important to both of us, and he was always worth being stressed out or not being able to be just like Rory Gilmore.

"I love you, Blaine."

"I love you too."

And that's what love is.

Doing whatever it takes for the person you love, even if it doesn't always make the most sense on paper.

Giving up everything in your life to be with the person you love more than anything in the world.

And that's what Kurt would always do for Blaine and what Blaine would always do right back for Kurt.

I heard the door creak open, and I figured it was as good a time as any to pretend to wake up.

Finn and Carole were armed with coffee and breakfast, and the warm smells made my stomach growl.

I started to sit up, and Finn just about dropped everything in his hands.

"Oh my God, did we wake you up?"

He looked horrified.

"What? No, Finn, it's fine. It's morning. I need to be awake."

It was really only about six A.M., and they all looked to one another to make sure it was actually okay.

Finn was frozen.

"Buddy, sit down and drink your coffee."

He smiled, and everyone relaxed just a little bit as I was back to my old self.

As Carole passed around the food, I noticed just how terrible everyone looked.

"Tell me, did anyone in this room sleep at all last night?"

"Not in the slightest," Blaine said with a smile.

No one looked even remotely guilty about it either, and I knew that I really should have expected that answer before I even asked the question.

I surveyed the room.

Aside from all of the bags under everyone's eyes, there were things from home scattered all over the place.

Toothbrushes, Kurt's skin creams, a deck of cards dealt to three hands that had been left in the middle of the floor.

They'd made a home out of a hospital room.

And that's when I remembered one of the most important details.

I had completely forgotten about what Kurt had been wearing when he'd first gotten to the hospital.

But there it was, hanging up right in front of me.

"The musical. You guys missed it, didn't you? You missed the whole thing?"

Kurt was quick to resolve it.

"We didn't miss anything, Dad. It was... postponed."

"Jesus, I'm sorry, Kurt. I know how much this meant to you."

Kurt stood up and walked over to me and grabbed my hand.

"You mean a lot more to all of us than Pippa Middleton, Dad. Even if she _is_ prettier than you are."

I laughed.

"Well, I'd still like to see it. When's it been postponed to?"

Everyone looked to one another for the answer, and there was a sad smile on Carole's face.

Postponed really meant _cancelled_.

With regionals coming up, there wasn't enough time to waste on Kurt's musical.

It wasn't fair, and I would have felt really guilty about it if it wasn't for Kurt's quick thinking.

"How about..."

He ran across the room and pulled a CD out of his bag.

"... right now?"

Finn's face fell in complete disbelief.

"_Now_, Kurt?"

Kurt looked to me, and I couldn't wipe away the grin that was pinned to my face.

"Yes, _now_, Finn. Dad wants to see it, and _we_ are going to give it to him."

I laughed.

"Kurt, I'm sure you guys are exhausted. You really don't have to -"

"But we _do_ have to! And besides, _I_ just got my second wind. Right, Finn? Blaine?"

Blaine was smiling, and Finn just shrugged his shoulders.

"If you say so. But... how is this going to work exactly?"

Kurt's smile was suddenly enormous.

"_I_ will play Pippa Middleton, of course."

It was a dream come true.

"And the two of you will split up the rest of the characters... except that, Finn, you don't get to play any of the suitors. _Or _Prince Harry."

Finn laughed.

"Done."

It couldn't have been more perfect.

It was really the only version of the musical that we'd wanted to see, and they were so damn good.

It was hilarious, and it was beautiful. And we were laughing and singing, and probably woke up half the hospital but didn't care in the slightest, because there were three boys who were trying to put on a fully staged production of a musical in a tiny hospital room at six o'clock in the morning and actually pulling it off.

They were just so creative and insane and full of love.

And no matter how much of the stress in my life was because of them, it didn't matter.

Because _I_ didn't matter if I didn't have them.

I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for them.

They saved me.

* * *

><p>Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you'll send me your thoughts if you get the chance! :)<p> 


	25. The Invincibility

Oh my gosh... the reviews from the last chapter... YOU. GUYS. I have never smiled so much as I have reading all of your amazing comments. You're the best. Factual statement, end of story. However, the site is freaking out a bit this afternoon, and it's not letting me respond to any of your reviews at this moment. So, if I have not gotten back to your review, I promise that I'm doing everything that I can to respond as quickly as possible! I'm sorry!

Also, a teaser for the next chapter... Spring Break!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>I did get to go home that day.<p>

But things didn't get back to normal as quickly as I would have liked.

All three of the boys took on completely different roles in the days that followed my homecoming, and I didn't like it one bit.

Finn was trying to forget that it had even happened.

He'd immediately try to change the subject every time it came up, or he'd just start whistling to himself to block it out.

He didn't like to think about it, and I think that I was the closest to his approach in dealing with it myself.

Of course, Kurt was the exact opposite.

He was understandably neurotic about almost every move I made, and certainly every food that I put in my mouth.

Every time I tried to eat something that he hadn't prepared himself, he'd inspect it for a solid ten to fifteen seconds before making a ruling. And almost every ruling involved him throwing the food in the trash.

I got where he was coming from, and I knew that he was just trying to look out for me, but it was never supposed to be that way.

I was supposed to look after my kid. Not the other way around.

Which led to Blaine.

Who was just about scared shitless of me.

He was terrified of what might happen, and he didn't want to be alone with me again, just incase I had another attack. But I knew better than to talk to him about it, because he'd just freak out that I had even noticed him avoiding me. It was his way of coping, and I figured that I just needed to let him cope for a little bit. He'd get over it.

But I think Blaine took it the hardest out of all of them.

Kurt had been there already, so he was experienced, and Finn was just keeping himself in happy denial.

But Blaine?

Blaine had been the one who called 911. Blaine had been the one who rode in the ambulance. And Blaine had been the one who had to explain to everyone else what was happening.

And for someone who had already lost one dad... the whole experience was just a lot for him to handle at first.

There was one night, only a few days after I got home, when the whole family was watching a movie in the living room.

Blaine had fallen asleep in Kurt's lap, and he started... moaning, sort of.

I could tell what Kurt was thinking when he tried to shake him awake, and Finn just about spilled his bowl of popcorn, he was laughing so hard.

But when Blaine finally came to, it clearly wasn't that at all.

He screamed and shot up into a sitting position, just narrowly missing nailing Kurt right in the nose with his head.

Everyone froze, and Kurt looked absolutely terrified.

But not nearly as terrified as Blaine.

He quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and spluttered a string of w's, while trying to survey the looks on everyone's faces and peel apart what was real and what was part of the nightmare.

Kurt grabbed his hand.

"Hey, you okay?"

He tried to smile.

Blaine looked right at me, trying to figure out what his answer to that question would be.

"Y-yeah... I'm fine."

Everyone in the room knew that that was a lie.

Blaine was out of breath, and Kurt only looked even more worried.

"Blaine? Are you-"

"No, really, I'm fine."

He smiled.

"I'm just... I think I'm going to go to bed."

It was barely 9:30.

He kissed Kurt on the cheek and stood up to leave.

"Goodnight, everyone."

He gave me one last look and walked up the stairs.

It was weird, and I think it freaked out everyone in the house, especially Kurt.

I wasn't really sure how to get through to him or what it was that I needed to do to make him feel any better. It was so tricky, but from the look on Kurt's face, I knew that he had at least opened up to his boyfriend. And I decided to leave it at that for the time being.

Especially because Blaine seemed so happy every time I saw him after that.

But I wasn't completely sure if it was all an act or if he was really just genuinely ecstatic about the news he and Kurt gave me that next day.

When they came home from school, they immediately bounded into the kitchen, excitement seeping from their faces.

Kurt couldn't contain himself for any longer.

"Blaine and I got the solo for regionals!"

They were laughing and smiling, and it was almost like they could barely even believe that the words were actually true this time.

Even with my limited show choir knowledge, I understood just how big of a deal this was, especially after everything that had happened over that sectionals solo.

"Guys, that's fantastic! What are you gonna sing?"

They both looked at each other and realized that they hadn't actually worked that part out yet.

"I'm sure we will come up with something. Right, Blaine?"

He smiled.

"Oh, of course. We can't lose this time. It's going to be... _incredible_. It really is."

He couldn't have been happier or more confident in just how great everything was going to be.

I liked that. I liked seeing him smiling and happy and unafraid. I hadn't seen him like that since before my heart attack, and even though I knew he still wasn't completely his normal self again, I was more than willing to accept this regionals solo as a great distraction for the time being.

He was happy. Certainly nothing wrong with that.

"Well, hey, look. This is great, but how'd you get it?"

Kurt's excitement quickly turned to confusion.

"What do you mean?"

I was immediately doubting whether or not I should have asked that. But it had seemed like a valid question to me.

"Well, with everything with Finn and Rachel for that _last_ solo -"

And that's when it hit me that the only real reason that Kurt and Blaine got the solo was because Finn and Rachel hadn't even fought for it.

With the two of them completely out of the picture, it was practically handed right to Kurt and Blaine.

"Yes, thank you, Dad, for bringing that up."

Kurt sighed.

"Hey, come on, that's not what I meant."

Finn and Rachel being apart didn't make what Kurt and Blaine had accomplished any less special, but I could feel Kurt questioning if that was actually true.

Kurt wanted to prove something to that glee club. He wanted to show all of him that Kurt and Blaine at their best were better than Rachel and Finn at _their_ best.

And even though he couldn't be happier that they'd gotten it in the first place, I knew that it didn't mean quite as much to him as it would have if Finn and Rachel had still been together.

But Blaine was still smiling.

"You know what? We take what we can get. And if getting this was really only a result of Finn and Rachel having some... temporary issues... I think we are more than willing to step up and be even better than they would have been, anyway. Right, Kurt?"

Kurt just laughed.

He knew Blaine was right.

"That is true."

They kissed, and I was once again amazed at how good Blaine was at making Kurt feel better.

But it brought up a bigger issue.

There was still the _Finn_ of everything.

Even though there were two boys who'd won, there was still one who'd _lost_. There was never a way to please all three of them when it came to that kind of stuff.

And I knew that it must have been bothering him, one way or the other.

Especially because he was still refusing to open his college letters.

He'd taken them to his room, and every once in awhile, I'd catch him staring at them. He'd move to open one, and then he'd throw it aside and take a deep breath.

Then it'd start again.

He did that for days, and up to that point... he still hadn't opened a single one.

I knew that Carole was on top of that one, though. Everyone was still trying to keep as much stress away from me as possible... but I couldn't help but worry about Finn.

He was keeping himself happy and occupied, but with another huge reminder of Rachel as well as whether or not he was even going to _go_ to college, there was a lot on his plate.

And I knew that I had to say something to him about it.

I caught him just as he was about to go to sleep one night.

I opened the door to his room, and he was already in bed, just staring at one sealed envelope, willing himself to do it, to just open it and find out what it had to say.

But he leaned back in his bed, closed his eyes, and put the envelope down.

He hadn't even noticed me, and it was a little awkward to be walking in on such a personal moment.

But the timing really couldn't have been better.

"Finn?"

He immediately sat back up and tried to play it as cool as he could.

"Oh, hey, Burt. You... need something?"

I laughed and took a moment to look around his room.

I realized how very little time I'd ever actually spent in that room.

Finn liked his space. And after living in what was basically a closet with cowboy wallpaper for the majority of his life, he deserved a room that he could sort of get away from reality in.

Of course, Finn's room was just about as _Finn_ as it could be.

It smelled like Finn, looked like Finn... and was as messy as Finn.

"You ever think about picking some of this stuff up?"

Finn looked down at the surrounding area with a considering look on his face.

There were clothes and pieces of paper and trash and video games and just about everything he owned, really, all over the floor.

He looked up at me, his decision made.

"Nope, probably not."

I smiled.

"Didn't think so."

I paused, trying to decide if I could really get him to tell me everything I wanted to know that night.

It was worth a shot.

"You mind if I come in?"

I could immediately tell that he wasn't expecting me to ask that at all.

But he didn't mind.

He cleared off a spot for me on the bed, and I sat down in front of him.

My eyes immediately stuck to the two envelopes on his bedside table... the two _opened_ envelopes.

I grabbed them, and he didn't even try to stop me.

Finn always _wanted_ to share things with me. He just wasn't always sure how to, and especially after my heart attack, he doubted whether or not what he wanted to talk about was even worth stressing me out.

I needed him to know that he could talk to me about anything, at any time.

"You got these two open?"

He nodded.

"It took a few days, but... yeah."

They were just two big state schools in Ohio. Those schools that everyone from McKinley was going to and where Finn would just be another nameless face in a crowd of people.

It didn't matter if he got in or not, because it wasn't what he wanted.

And it wasn't what I wanted for him either.

"And that one?"

I pointed to the envelope that was still in his hand, unopened.

He handed it to me, and I was actually surprised to see where it was from.

"NYU?"

I smiled, but I knew that he could hear the surprise in my voice.

He was embarrassed, and he grabbed the letter back from me.

"It's stupid, I know."

"What? It's not stupid."

I paused, waiting for him to agree with me. But he stayed silent.

I looked right into his eyes.

"Finn, why do you think it's stupid?"

He was holding onto that letter so tightly, almost trying to will the contents out of it without actually having to open it.

"Because I already know what it says."

He sighed.

"Look, I know that I'm not very good at... _arts_ stuff. I can't dance, and I can really only sing eighties rock songs. But I -"

He paused, trying to figure out if he really wanted to keep going.

"I just thought that maybe... I don't know. That it was worth a shot?"

He tried to smile.

"I sent in a video of me and Rachel at sectionals this year. I mean... we won, right? That's got to be something, I think."

He sighed.

"I don't know. I'm just no Kurt and Blaine. They deserve to go to NYU, and they deserve that solo at regionals. That's how it is, and that's what I need to accept."

I had no idea that he felt that way, and I couldn't believe it.

He was that glee club's leading man, but he didn't think that he was as talented as Kurt and Blaine were. He didn't think that he deserved the same things that they'd been given.

I knew that Finn was insecure about a lot of things, but I never would have guessed that something that Kurt and Blaine had always been a little bit jealous of him over would be one of them.

"Finn, you know that's not true. You applied and auditioned the same way they did. Before they opened their letters, all three of you were in the exact same boat."

He looked at the envelope, and I knew that I had him.

"Open it."

He looked up at me, and I could see just how much he trusted me in his eyes.

I'd never steer him down the wrong path, and he had to believe that.

He slipped his thumb under the seal, and for the first time, he was ripping open that letter.

But before he actually took it out, he set it down in his lap.

"Are you sure about this?"

I smiled.

"See what it says, Finn."

He took a deep breath and pulled the letter out of the envelope.

I knew that he was nervous. He was absolutely terrified.

That's why it'd taken him so long to open it in the first place, that overwhelming fear of rejection when he'd basically just been _given_ so many things that he wanted in high school.

He wanted to be the quarterback, he got it.

He wanted to be the leading man in the glee club, he got it.

He wanted to be the most popular guy in school, he got it.

But _this_? He wasn't so sure about this, and he didn't really know what he'd do if he didn't get it. He didn't know if he was the Finn Hudson he'd always thought he was if he didn't get it.

It was a big moment for him.

And as his eyes scanned the page, his expression remained completely blank.

He wasn't excited, but he wasn't upset either. He was -

"Wait-listed."

It wasn't a bad thing. I had to make him believe just how _not_ bad of a thing it really was.

It wasn't no. It just wasn't yes either.

And he had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.

I grabbed his knee.

"This is good, Finn, alright?"

He wasn't convinced.

"Look, you've still got plenty of time to make a decision, and you and I still have plenty of time to hunt down the people who got in and kill them. Sound good?"

We both laughed, and he put down the letter.

"No, you're right. It'll be fine."

But I knew that he wasn't completely sure of that.

And I knew that he was sinking back into his original argument.

That Kurt and Blaine deserved this more than he did... especially because NYU had felt the same way.

I needed to say something to make him feel better, and I might as well have jumped down the rabbit hole with what I chose to say.

"Finn, you know, this glee club stuff is a little out of my league, but... aren't you always the one who gets the solos?"

He had the same look on his face that Kurt had had when I asked him about getting the solo for regionals.

Again, I was doubting the question.

"I get the solos with _Rachel_. Everybody knows that. Even I know that. Finn... Finn doesn't get solos. Finn and _Rachel_ get solos. And now there's... there's no Finn and Rachel, so it doesn't really matter anymore."

It was like... without Rachel, he didn't even think that it was worth being Finn.

And as wrong as that was, I needed to know what would even make him feel that way.

"You really miss her, don't you?"

He sighed and leaned his head back on the wall behind him.

"Yeah, I do."

He was trying to work out what his feelings were exactly.

It was jumbled, and it was complicated, and he didn't _want_ to miss her.

He just did.

"I overheard her practicing in the choir room after school today, and it was like she was the most obvious thing in the world. Like I could never have an easier decision to make, because she's... she's everything I've ever wanted."

I wasn't so sure how I felt about that, but I wanted him to keep talking.

"I don't even know how to explain it, because when I write it all down, it doesn't even make any sense. But I can't stop thinking about her. Her shiny hair and her reindeer sweaters and how she's always driving me crazy. I miss that."

Young love. It got him every time.

"And I feel like we always forget just how little time we have left, you know?"

I didn't want to know, but I did.

"I just don't want to lose her, that's all."

And that's when it hit me with Finn.

All three of those boys had their own ways of dealing with my heart attack, and Finn's was _Rachel_.

He needed her to be there for him.

He needed her to be what Kurt and Blaine were for each other.

And he just needed her to make him happy in the way that only she could, in the way that he always loved so much, regardless of how crazy she was.

And I just couldn't even think about all of the things she had done in the past when it really came down to it. I cared so much more about Finn being happy than the petty things.

And Rachel was Finn's happiness.

And he deserved to have that.

"Look, I know that she might not be the girl that I'm going to marry one day, but she's the girl I want to be with right now. And I think that I should... I should be with her."

I smiled, and I knew that he was right.

Rachel wasn't perfect, but that kid was in love with her, and he wanted her back.

"Well, Finn... you know, I think that you need to do what you need to do. And if Rachel's what you need to do, well... you should. You should do Rachel."

I paused, and he was trying so hard not to laugh.

"Now, okay... no, see... that's not what I meant. Do _not_ have sex with her, okay? And do not tell your mom that I told you to have sex with her either."

We both laughed, and his mind was more than made up.

"Thank you, Burt... but you've got nothing to worry about there. Trust me."

He rolled his eyes, and I stood up to leave.

We said our goodnights, and his door clicked shut behind me.

And as I went to sleep that night, I knew that he'd make the right decision in the end.

I actually felt really good about Finn in the days leading up to regionals.

He was waiting to make his move, and he was still turning over his decision in his mind. It was a good thing, and his happiness made me happy.

There was just Blaine who was still working on that whole happiness thing.

Because he was really starting to freak out the day before that competition.

He was going over his and Kurt's song in the living room for what felt like the billionth time. Kurt wasn't even home, but he was still obsessing over every little detail.

"You know, you've got that down."

I had snuck up behind him, and he was startled to see me there.

He smiled.

"I'm not so sure about that."

He started biting his fingernail and focused again on the music in front of him.

This was a side of Blaine that no one ever really saw.

He was nervous about a singing competition. And, according to Kurt, that _never_ happened. If there was one thing Blaine was great at, it was performing in front of crowds. He had that confidence, that stage presence that he was so damn good at.

So, I couldn't understand how the kid who'd never had a problem with this before was suddenly doubting himself.

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

He sighed, and I knew that he didn't really want to tell me.

"Regionals is... tomorrow."

Not the word I thought he was going to say, but I let him continue.

"And I'm not ready. I'm not ready for this at all."

He was crumbling, and it made no sense.

"Hey, come on. What's going on? What happened to Blaine Warbler... frontman, right?"

He looked at me like it was the most obvious conclusion in the world.

"Blaine _Warbler_ had no trouble with this at all. But he... he doesn't exist anymore."

I still didn't get it.

"Don't you see? This is the New Directions. This is something totally different, and I've never _done_ totally different. I don't know _how to do_ totally different. I know how to be a Warbler. And this?"

He held up the pages of music and shook them in front of me.

"There's no warbling here!"

He was a little hysterical.

"And this is our last chance to make it to nationals, and I will... I will hate myself for the rest of my life if I ruin this for everyone."

I just laughed.

I couldn't see what he was getting himself so worked up over. I knew how much these competitions meant to them, but I also knew that he was psyching himself out for absolutely no reason.

"Blaine, you and Kurt are going to be great. You're not going to ruin anything for anyone, alright? I know that you know that."

He sighed.

"I'm trying to know that, I really am, but -"

I moved to scratch my chest, and Blaine's eyes immediately widened to about double their size.

He was trying to stay calm, but he looked like he was about to throw up.

"Are you okay? Is it your heart, or -"

"What?"

But I realized it immediately.

A hand to the chest meant that I was having another heart attack in his mind, and he was so overwhelmingly terrified of that happening again.

"No, Blaine."

I paused.

"Hey, look at me."

He did.

"I'm fine, okay? I promise you that I'm just fine, and you've got nothing to worry about."

If there was one thing he could believe in, it was a promise from me.

I'd never broken one before, and I was never going to.

He nodded.

"Sorry, I just sort of... panicked."

He looked so embarrassed, and I felt bad for him.

"Nothing to apologize for, Blaine."

He got up off the couch, and as I watched him retreat to his room, everything clicked.

He wasn't nervous about regionals because the competition was actually freaking him out, and he wasn't doubting himself because he had any real reason to believe that he couldn't do it.

He had lost his confidence, because, to him, I'd lost mine.

And I was supposed to be Superman. But I wasn't invincible anymore.

And if Superman couldn't be invincible, how could Blaine?

I wasn't even sure if it was something he was consciously aware of, but it couldn't have been more obvious in that moment.

And I hated every single thing about it.

I wanted him to keep believing that I could do no wrong, that I was this hero that would always save the day.

I didn't want him to let go of that, but I couldn't think of a single way to give it back to him.

So, I waited.

And I let Kurt tell me everything that happened after they won regionals.

The two of us were driving home after running some errands the next day, and he was giving me a play by play of everything that had happened the night before.

"Alright, so, we win, and when it was announced, obviously we were all going crazy. It was very exciting, Dad. But _then_, and you're not going to believe this... in the heat of everything, Finn grabs Rachel and just kisses her right there."

I laughed, but Kurt didn't even notice.

"He _kissed_ her, on stage, _again._ Honestly, when is he going to learn? I mean, at least he waited until after the actual performance this time, but if those two screw up nationals for us, he's out of here. He really is. I'm serious."

He took a breath, and I knew that regardless of how unprofessional he might have found the whole thing, he was so happy that they were back together.

Finn was happy, and Rachel was happy.

And that meant that Kurt didn't have to tiptoe around either one of them.

Which made him happy.

"Can you believe they're actually back together, though?"

He looked to me, and I just shrugged.

"Even with Rachel going to Juilliard next year, those two are back together. It's crazy, but, you know... Finn and Rachel will be Finn and Rachel, right?"

I wasn't completely sure what that meant exactly, but I agreed with him.

He sighed, and I knew that he wasn't done talking.

I could see him struggling with something else he wanted to say to me.

"Spill it, Kurt."

"I told Blaine about Columbia."

That was a big spill, alright, but a good one.

"What'd he say?"

Kurt pursed his lips.

"I'm not really sure, actually. I mean, he obviously wants me to make my own choice either way. He'd never pressure me into something I didn't want to do. But I explained to him that I'm going to NYU, and that that was the choice I had made completely on my own, and... I was just a little confused."

I didn't know what _that_ meant either.

"Confused?"

He sighed.

"It was like he didn't believe me when I told him that, Dad. He told me how happy he was, but I don't think he actually understands that I'm really going to NYU with him. I think he's waiting for me to change my mind."

That was Blaine, alright. Always waiting for what was perfect to turn sour, even when the truth was staring him right in the face.

It wasn't something he could control. It was just something he was so used to, something that he'd grown up having to tell himself over and over again to the point that he couldn't actually get rid of it even when things _were_ perfect.

"Kurt, he'll come around. You just need to give him some time."

"I know that, Dad, but he's been so crazy lately... I feel like I'm only adding to it, and I hate it."

He had a point.

Blaine had certainly been acting crazy recently, but it wasn't Kurt's fault.

It wasn't anybody's fault. And if it was, I guess it would have been my heart's.

"You're not doing anything wrong. Actually, I'm really glad you told him the truth. I think both of you really deserved that."

He nodded, still unconvinced.

"Blaine's going to be fine, and you know that he loves you too much to think you'd tell him you were going to NYU just to change your mind and go to Columbia."

He didn't say anything.

"You aren't thinking about changing your mind, are you?"

"What? Dad, no, of course not."

He sighed.

"I'm sure you're right. He never gets hung up on these things for too long."

I really wanted to believe that myself, especially knowing just how much and exactly _why_ he was so hung up on it in the first place.

I guess I really got my answer around five o'clock in the morning a few days later.

I woke up to a noise downstairs, and when I heard the front door close, I was immediately on edge.

It was still dark out on a Sunday morning, and _someone _was opening the front door.

I crept downstairs to investigate, and there was Blaine, soaked in sweat and breathing heavily as I walked into the living room.

"Blaine? What the hell are you doing?"

I'm pretty sure I scared him a whole lot more than he had scared me, because he turned around so fast he almost fell over.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. Go back to sleep, nothing to see here."

But I wasn't going back to sleep after that. He was really starting to freak me out with all this, and there was no way I could go to sleep knowing that he'd been up and out of the house sweating before the sun came up.

"Kid, it's five o'clock in the morning. What's going on?"

He was looking at me like my question couldn't have been stupider.

"I was out for a run."

I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows.

"You were _out for a run_, Blaine?"

He couldn't believe I was doubting what was so logical to him.

"Yes, yes I was. People run in the mornings."

I laughed.

"And you're one of those people?"

He didn't think it was particularly funny.

"I... could be."

He sighed.

"Fine, I couldn't sleep. So, I just went for a run to... to clear my head a bit."

I would have preferred him to be one of those people who just run in the mornings.

"And did it work?"

He smiled.

"Yeah, I think it did. But, seriously. You should go back to sleep. I'm fine."

I took a really good look at him, and I don't know if it was how tired I was or how dark it was in the living room, but that was the first time I noticed that his right leg was covered in blood.

I pointed to it.

"You sure about that?"

He looked down, and apparently it was the first time he had noticed it as well.

"Oh, wow. I hadn't... I didn't even feel that."

He laughed.

"I fell coming around a corner. I'll just..."

He started to walk into the kitchen, and I knew that I couldn't just leave him there.

As therapeutic as his morning run might have been, I knew that there was no way that Blaine was as fine as he said he was.

It reminded me of that past May.

And that was one of the last things I ever wanted to see again.

I followed him into the kitchen and grabbed the antiseptic before he could.

"Dad, seriously, I'm fine, you don't need to -"

It was so fast, and he was so tired.

But he'd said it without any real physical limitations.

It was the very first time, and I couldn't keep myself from beaming.

"Oh... wow. Sorry, I don't know what -"

"No, hey. Look, Blaine, you can... you can call me whatever you're comfortable with, okay?"

He laughed.

"Thanks."

It was awhile before he called me _Dad_ again, but I'll always remember that one as being where it really started, as the first time I really felt like I'd finally broken some huge barrier with him.

And it was while he was bloody and sweaty and disgusting, no less.

I motioned for him to sit up on the countertop, but he hesitated for a moment.

It was only after I had started cleaning off his leg that I remembered that he was sitting in the exact same place he had been when I'd had my heart attack.

It was a little uncomfortable, but I knew that it was time for him to face some fears.

It was time for both of us, really.

He winced as the alcohol hit the open wound.

"Sorry about the stinging."

He smiled through it.

"No, it's fine. I actually... I'm not really sure why you're doing this in the first place, though. I can clean it off myself."

I laughed.

"You're my kid. And it's been a long time since I've cleaned off a scraped knee."

He laughed.

"I can't imagine Kurt having too many scraped knees as a kid."

He winced again.

"You're right about that one."

I wondered how much Kurt had told Blaine about his childhood or about his mother, and I wondered just how much Kurt knew about Blaine's past too. It was so easy to forget that they hadn't actually been together their entire lives.

He smiled.

"You know, I can't ever remember my father cleaning me up like this. This is actually really weird."

I wasn't really sure what to say to that.

I couldn't think of anything more I could ever want than to have Kurt be little again and need me to fix a problem as simple as putting a bandage on his knee.

"But... I like it. Thank you. I feel like I don't thank you enough."

He laughed.

"You've got nothing to thank me for, Blaine."

He'd never believe that, but it was always worth trying.

"Did Kurt tell you about getting into Columbia?"

He already knew what my answer was going to be.

"He did."

I grabbed the gauze, and his eyes followed me.

"You want him to take it, don't you?"

I looked him right in the eyes, and I could see just how lost he was over the whole thing.

"I want Kurt to do what Kurt wants to do. And he wants to go to NYU. Not Columbia."

That wasn't a good enough answer for him.

"But you want him to go to Columbia, don't you?"

I laughed.

"You know... I thought I did. But, now... no. I don't want him to."

He couldn't believe that.

"Why not?"

I was trying to wipe away all of the blood, and he was only paying attention to my answer.

"Because I love my son, and I want him to have exactly what he wants. And you know what he wants, Blaine?"

He smiled.

"NYU."

I shook my head.

"He wants you, kid. And he's making the right choice, trust me."

He sighed.

"I just don't want him to give up a dream for me."

But he'd gotten it completely mixed up.

"He'd be giving up a dream for Columbia, Blaine."

We both smiled, and I started wrapping up what was one of the biggest scrapes I'd ever seen in my life.

"You know, you're... you're a really great dad. I don't know how you do it."

I smiled, and it warmed my heart like nothing he'd ever said before.

It was so simple, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. It was perfect, and I felt like Blaine was a six-year-old about to bring me in for Show and Tell. I loved it.

"I've got really great kids, that's how. And I'm also Superman, remember?"

I looked up at him, and in that moment, I had no idea what he was thinking.

I was trying to decide if I'd overstepped such a sensitive subject or if he was going to find it funny.

I know that a part of me almost needed to hear him validate that statement.

I needed him to know that I wasn't leaving him or disappearing or letting anything happen to me that might disturb the balance of what we had, not even a heart attack.

I needed him to know that he could be invincible again.

That we both could.

Because everything that we had was far too good to doubt... and, hell, I kind of just needed it for myself.

I needed that something to hold onto. That Superman.

But he gave me one better.

He smiled.

"Well, who'd want to be Superman when you can be Burt Hummel, right?"

We both laughed.

"I mean, did Superman ever clean off any knees or have a majority share ownership in a tire shop? I don't think so."

I loved him so much.

I was done with his knee, and he hopped off the counter.

"Good as new!"

It really was some of my finer work when it came to scraped knees.

"Now, go take a nap or something, alright?"

He laughed.

"That sounds like a great idea. But, um... I'm actually starving right now. Can I make you something too?"

I nodded.

"That sounds fantastic."

So, the kid made us some toast.

And we sat there, laughing and talking as we ate it while the sun began to pour through the kitchen windows.

It felt so easy, and I was just so happy to be back to easy.

He was my kid, and he didn't have to be afraid that one day I wasn't going to be his dad or his Superman or his Burt anymore.

Because I wasn't going anywhere.

And I never would.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll send me your thoughts! :)<p> 


	26. The Alan

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your amazing and absolutely perfect reviews for the last chapter! I have loved reading every single one of them, and they always make my day a little bit brighter. :) Also, I have heard from a lot of you that this story sounds a bit like a sitcom. And that right there is probably my favorite compliment ever. I'd never really noticed it... but now that I go back and think about it, there are so many antics and cheesy endings, it really does feel like a sitcom, haha! I sure do hope you guys intend that to be a compliment, because, regardless, I think I'm going to take it as one! Especially because this chapter might just be the most sitcom-y of them all! :)

Also, I'd like to apologize for the length of the chapters these days. I have no idea how I used to keep these stories to three to four thousand words, but I highly doubt that there will be a chapter that short ever again. Hopefully, you guys are on board for the long chapters, because I'd love to keep them in the six to seven thousand range!

Until next time (prom!)...

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>The guys did a lot of negotiating for that Spring Break trip.<p>

There were diagrams and multimedia presentations and sticky note hints all over the house... all for one vacation plan.

One vacation plan that _I _was the only one in the house who actually needed to be convinced that we should go for.

Even Carole was all for it... but I was pretty hesitant about the whole thing.

They had a lot of good points, though. We could all use some sunshine, and even the doctor had said that a few days of relaxation, completely away from Ohio, could put me in a really great place.

The only real problem with the idea was our starting place.

You see, the guys wanted to go to the beach. A _real_ beach with a _real _ocean. None of them had ever set foot in the ocean before, and it was something they were all completely set on doing before they graduated.

Of course, Lima's not anywhere near the ocean, and the closest beach, according to all of Kurt's research, was a twelve hour drive.

But they had prepared driving schedules and stopping points and really everything that I could ever argue against.

And when it really came down to it, it ended up being impossible to say no.

They were so well organized, and with Carole on their side, I had no choice but to be won over, really.

Besides, it'd been decades since I'd been in the ocean myself, and even with the expense and the unbelievably long drive... I knew it'd all be worth it in the end.

And even though it _was_, it still didn't end up being quite as perfect as we'd all hoped.

And even before we left, there was still one big issue that divided the house.

Finn wanted Rachel to come.

"Nope, no, absolutely _not_."

We were all at the dinner table, and Kurt's eyes looked like they were ready to pop right out of his head.

"Kurt, could you at least hear him out?"

"She's not coming, Dad. It completely defeats the purpose!"

I sighed.

Kurt was the only one who'd say it out loud, but none of us were really on board with being in an enclosed space with Rachel Berry for a total of twenty-four hours.

Plus, Finn was the only one who even completely understood why the two of them were back together in the first place.

"What _purpose_ does it defeat?"

"The purpose of _everyone_ having fun on this vacation, not just you, Finn."

"So, you're saying that my girlfriend is a fun killer?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to one side.

"Have you _met_ Rachel?"

Blaine covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing, and Finn crossed his arms.

"So, she can be a little -"

"Insane?"

"Controlling?"

"Self-involved?"

"Over zealous?"

"... _Fun killing?_"

"Oh, good one, Blaine."

"Thank you, Kurt."

They smiled at one another and looked back at Finn, who was a little taken off guard by their quick list of issues with Rachel.

Carole and I just laughed and left them to their argument, knowing exactly how all of this was going to end up, regardless of what conclusion they came to.

I knew that Carole was even more against Rachel coming along than the rest of us combined... and that was really saying something.

It wasn't that Carole didn't _like_ Rachel... she just couldn't really stand her for long periods of time. None of us could, save for Finn.

"Okay, fine. _Yes_, Rachel can be all of those things... but I still think we should put it to a vote."

Kurt smiled and put both of his hands on the table.

"Fine. Raise your hand if you want to spend the entire ride to Virginia Beach listening to Rachel talk about herself."

Finn raised his hand, and everyone else remained still.

I looked to Carole who was smiling and slowly shaking her head.

"Sorry, Finn. You and Rachel can spend plenty of time together before we leave."

Finn sighed and banged his fist on the table.

"I demand a recount."

Blaine just about spit out his drink.

"On what grounds?"

Everyone immediately turned their heads to Finn, waiting for his rebuttal.

But, of course, Finn hadn't actually thought that part through.

"On... on the grounds that she's my girlfriend, and _therefore _my vote should count for double."

Blaine laughed.

"Finn, with that argument, your vote should count for _half_ because you have a clear bias in the ruling. Besides, two against four still loses."

Blaine took a victory bite, and Kurt just shook his head.

"I bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?"

Finn let his silverware clank against his plate in defeat.

"Fine, okay. I see how it is."

He paused.

"And now it is officially _on_."

Finn stood up to clear his plate, pushing his chair in for the effect.

Kurt laughed, and Blaine pretended to shiver.

"Oh, Finn! I'm so scared!"

Carole and I weren't too sure what that meant, and _were_ actually a little scared to find out, but Kurt and Blaine could barely contain themselves they were laughing so hard, and even I had to admit, it was pretty funny.

And regardless of Finn's initial feelings about Rachel not being allowed to come along, I think he got over most of it somewhere about halfway through the drive when Kurt _finally_ gave up trying to force him to put away his Doritos.

"They smell like feet."

"They _smell _like delicious."

Yeah, it was a long car ride alright. But I think that if the three of them hadn't rotated driving duties, it would have been even _longer_.

Those boys in the backseat for twelve hours... well, I don't even want to imagine what might have happened. I'd guess that Carole and I would have ended up being completely childless by the time we actually got there.

But we did make it. And all in one piece.

We checked into the hotel, and the room really was fantastic.

Carole and I had our own room, but it connected to the boys' room of three twin beds as well as a balcony with a view overlooking the beach.

And as we were all settling in, Finn immediately asserted himself to the bed _between_ Kurt and Blaine's.

"I'm not listening to you two whispering to each other all night."

Kurt laughed and cocked one eyebrow as he tossed his bag to the ground.

"You don't think we can whisper _over_ you, Finn?"

Finn groaned.

"There will be _no_ whispering!"

We'd just had a long drive, and tensions were already running high. But the last thing Carole and I were going to deal with were the three of them arguing over the little things for the entire trip.

I started walking toward their room.

"Hey, guys?"

"Yeah?"

I opened the door and stuck my head in.

"No whispering."

Finn smiled in satisfaction.

And I was actually a little bit concerned to see that Kurt and Blaine were already sitting on the same bed together.

Yeah, I knew that it wasn't a big deal, and I knew that Finn was there, but the two of them in the same room together would always make my stomach churn a bit... and it's not like _Finn_ had ever actually stood in their way before.

So, I walked over to them, my accusatory finger at the ready.

"And, hey, you stay on this side of the room, and _you_ stay on that side, alright?"

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Dad, the lights are on, Finn is standing right here, and we're in a sitting position, fully clothed. What do you think is going to happen exactly?"

Finn's eyes widened, and he put his hands up in surrender.

"Not a part of this."

I sighed.

"Kurt, other side of the room."

Kurt stood up, took a few steps, and sat down on his own bed.

"Hello, Blaine."

He waved, from a few feet away.

"Hi, Kurt."

Blaine tried not to laugh, and Kurt turned his head back to me.

"Are you happy now?"

I smiled.

"No whispering!"

I walked away, and I really hoped that they could keep themselves from killing each other in the same room for a few days.

Yeah, they were all good guys who loved each other more than anything in the world, but putting up with each other in the same room and sharing the same bathroom was a completely different story.

Because Kurt and Blaine had each other, while Finn was still a little ticked off that Rachel wasn't there. And Kurt would spend more time in the bathroom than Finn and Blaine combined. And Finn knew every trick in the book to drive both Kurt and Blaine absolutely crazy.

But before I knew it, it was like I had absolutely nothing to worry about, because the three of them were armed with nets and heading out the door.

"Woah, hey, wait. Where are you guys going?"

Finn had the goofiest grin on his face, and Blaine was trying to hide his own excitement in order to appease Kurt... who was trying to look as defiant as possible.

"Crab hunting!"

Well, that certainly explained the nets and the look on Kurt's face. I couldn't help but agree with him, though.

"You're going crab hunting right _now_?"

Finn smiled even wider.

"Of course! They only come out at night, and this trip is about making the most of every moment. Right, Kurt?"

Finn looked to Kurt, and a small smile crept onto his face.

They were so great together that way. One minute, one of Finn's crazy ideas really was crazy, and the next minute, he'd said exactly what Kurt needed to hear to be convinced to at least give it a try.

"Alright, yes, we are going crab hunting, and I am excited about it."

If there was one thing Finn was really great at when it came to Kurt, it was getting him out of his comfort zone.

But, of course, occasionally, Finn took that a little bit too far.

When they came back to the room a few hours later, Carole and I were already in bed, having just enjoyed a very nice time completely alone together.

And even though it was getting late, we were already getting excited about all of the days we'd have in the room while they were out doing whatever it was that teenage boys felt like doing on the beach.

"Mom, Burt... look at this. Isn't it incredible?"

Finn immediately shoved what might have been the most enormous sand crab I'd ever seen in our faces.

Carole screamed, and Finn could not stop laughing.

"You really needed to bring that back to the room?"

But Finn had absolutely no idea what the problem was.

"Well, _yeah_! It's huge, isn't it?"

He was so happy, and it was right then that I realized just how great of an idea taking the three of them to the beach really was.

It was their one last chance to be kids again, and it was the first time I got to see just what it was like for Finn and Blaine to be that blissfully childlike all the time.

I think my smile might have been just as big as Finn's right then... even though he really did need to get that giant crab out of the room.

"Jesus, it really is. How'd you catch that?"

Finn was trying to keep the crab under control as he told the story.

"Well, you see, Blaine got on one side, and Kurt got on another, and we sort of formed a triangle around it, but then Blaine had to nose dive right into the Atlantic to really get a hold of it. It was awesome."

I laughed.

"I'm sure it was."

Carole shot me a look.

"But you should probably take that thing back outside, alright?"

Finn looked to Carole as well.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'll... I'll be right back."

And when he _did_ get back, I knew as he walked past us to his own room that there was still a crab in his pocket.

I'm still not really sure why I didn't say anything to him about it. Maybe I was curious about what he was going to do with it. Or maybe I wanted him to be able to keep smiling like he had when he showed me that crab for the rest of his life.

All I know is that I regretted it around two in the morning when Kurt started screaming bloody murder.

"FINN HUDSON, I SWEAR TO GOD -"

I leapt out of bed and opened the door to their room to find that giant crab scurrying out of Kurt's bed and Kurt with his pillow at the ready to hit a laughing Finn as hard as he could.

And somehow, Blaine was still sound asleep.

"Guys, _really_? What happened to no whispering?"

Kurt was so furious, but he couldn't hide his smile as he looked over at his softly snoring boyfriend.

"Blaine's asleep, Dad."

I groaned and rubbed my eyes.

"Finn, didn't I tell you to take that thing outside?"

He tried not to laugh, still caught up in the the excitement of having successfully scared the hell out of Kurt.

"You did."

I crossed my arms and tried to give him one of my sternest looks, regardless of how completely exhausted I was and how impressed I was at how well Finn had managed to pull it off.

"Take it outside, Finn. _Now._"

His face fell, and after a few minutes of trying to find the damn thing, he scooped it up in his hands and left the room.

I looked to Kurt who was suddenly finding the whole thing a lot funnier than he had only a few minutes before.

"You're good?"

He smiled.

"I'm good. Thanks, Dad."

I looked to Blaine, who was still completely out.

"How is he still asleep right now?"

Kurt laughed.

"He's a weird one. But I love him."

I turned off the lights.

"Goodnight, Kurt. Get some sleep."

"'Night, Dad."

Finn loved retelling that story to Blaine the next morning, who could not have been more disappointed that he'd missed the whole thing.

We were on the beach pretty early that next day, and it was absolutely gorgeous.

The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot. The water was great, but it wasn't too crowded. And I was amazed by how relaxing the sound of the waves and the sand between my toes really was.

Kurt soaked himself in 70+ SPF sunscreen and refused to take his t-shirt off, even though he was happily reclined in a beach chair under _two_ umbrellas.

Of course, it was a fight to get Finn and Blaine to put on any sunscreen at all, and they were in the ocean for hours, wrestling and tossing the frisbee back and forth, and seeing just how far out they could swim before the waves got to be too much.

Carole was soaking up the sun, and I loved sitting between her and my son.

And Kurt loved watching Finn and Blaine make fools of themselves in the water.

"Can you believe the two of them? How do they have so much energy, Dad?"

I laughed.

"I have no idea."

He smiled.

"This really was a great idea, you know."

I turned to him.

"What was?"

He motioned to the ocean.

"This trip. I don't know... all of it."

Getting married to Carole, taking Blaine in. Going to the beach. All of it.

"Well, hey, it was your idea."

He laughed.

"You're the one who said yes!"

And I was so glad that I had.

"You're welcome."

He laughed again and took off his sunglasses to really look at me.

"Thank you, Dad. You are _the_ best."

He paused.

"And I really mean that too. Brad Pitt? Nothing on you. Mike Brady? Not even close. And how about Ward Cleaver? No way!"

I laughed.

"Nothing to thank me for, Kurt. This really was a great idea. I feel... fantastic. Better than I have in weeks."

He smiled and grabbed my hand.

"That is exactly what I needed to hear."

I didn't really know what that meant, but there was no time to ask him, because Finn and Blaine were finally making their way toward us.

Finn looked incredibly uncomfortable, and Blaine was literally doubled over, he was laughing so hard.

Kurt and I were confused, but Blaine couldn't even find the air to explain it to us.

He fell down onto a towel next to Kurt and took a deep breath, while Finn was still standing in front of us, his arms crossed and clearly angry about whatever it was.

"He... there was a... oh my God, what are the odds, _right_?"

Finn huffed.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep on laughing."

Kurt tried to laugh along with them.

"I'm sorry, but what is going on, exactly?"

Blaine took a deep breath.

"There was a used condom _in_ the ocean."

He kept laughing.

"And it got stuck to his leg! And he -"

"Yes, alright. _Thank you_, Blaine."

Finn sat down next to Blaine on the towel, and Blaine just kept on laughing.

Kurt was rather satisfied with the whole thing.

"Sounds a little bit like _karma_ to me, Finn."

Finn smiled painfully.

"I'm pretty sure getting a used condom stuck to your leg beats having a sand crab in your bed, like nine times out of ten."

Kurt laughed.

"Still, Finn. _Karma_."

Blaine had finally stopped laughing and leaned up against Kurt's chair to grab his hand.

But Kurt immediately shivered at the contact.

"Blaine, you are so pruny!"

Blaine looked down at his hands and smiled.

"Well, we've been in the water for... what? Four or five hours?"

Kurt looked appalled at the amount of time that had passed.

"And you haven't reapplied sunscreen _once_ in that time?"

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Kurt. It's waterproof sunscreen! And you did a great job rubbing it in the first time. I don't need anymore."

He stood up, and Kurt crossed his arms.

"Alright, but don't come crying to me when you're as red as a lobster later."

Of course, Kurt was right.

And at dinner that night, we all discovered just how right he was.

Blaine could barely even sit up, because his shoulders were stinging so badly, and his cheeks were as rosy as they could be. Plus, his feet and the back of his hands were exactly as Kurt had predicted.

He was splotchy, and Finn wanted more than anything to pull out a marker and trace all of the weird lines of sunburn.

Especially because, by some miracle, Finn wasn't burnt in the slightest.

"You know, dude, this really is pretty insane."

Finn was inspecting the weird patterns of red on Blaine's arm, and Blaine pulled it away.

"I have no idea how this happened! I had plenty of sunscreen on, and it's in the weirdest spots! I have never been burnt this badly."

Blaine groaned, and Kurt shook his head.

And none of us even acknowledged the group of high schoolers who had just entered the restaurant.

"I _told_ you to put more sunscreen on, but if I recall correctly, _someone_ said he didn't need anymore."

Blaine smiled and wrapped his hand around Kurt's.

"You were right, and I should have listened to you. I'm sorry."

Blaine kissed him.

"Well, with that apology, I will happily rub -"

And I guess _that's_ where the trip really started to go downhill.

One of the assholes from that group of kids "accidentally" shoved himself into the back of Blaine's chair, and even though the restaurant was loud, we all heard this guy cough the word _faggots_ under his breath, laugh with the rest of his friends, and walk away.

Finn immediately moved to get up, but Kurt was quick to pull him down.

"Do _not_ -"

"Kurt, those guys -"

"Are drunk. And stupid, and they do not matter. Now, sit down."

Blaine was still rubbing his stomach where it had been pushed into the edge of the table, and Carole and I were completely dumbfounded.

It had happened so fast, and I had barely even registered it before those guys were completely out of sight.

I guess that was when I really started to understand why Kurt and Blaine were always so affectionate toward each other while they were at home. Why that was the first time I'd ever seen them kiss in public as nonchalantly as they had just then and why Kurt was so immediate in his response to Finn.

They couldn't be boyfriends in the real world, and they couldn't do the things that Finn and Rachel could do in the hallways of McKinley.

Blaine looked to Kurt, who was suddenly more focused on the plate in front of him than he'd ever been on any food in his life, and knew exactly what he needed to do.

"So, um... what was that about _rubbing_?"

Finn snorted, and even Kurt managed to crack a smile.

It felt like it was over. Like it was completely resolved, because Blaine was always ready and able to make Kurt feel better.

But it wasn't.

Not yet, at least.

Because even though we enjoyed the next two days like that incident had never even happened, I should have known that it was still bothering Kurt.

And I should have known that those drunk guys were still on vacation, just like we were.

And I just should have known that it wasn't over.

Especially when it was rounding on one o'clock in the morning, and the boys were still out mini golfing and not answering their cell phones.

Carole and I were already in bed, and I was trying to make myself as calm as she was.

She had her head on my chest, and she could hear my heart race every time I checked the clock.

"I'm sure they just lost track of time, Burt."

I wanted to believe that.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it."

She sighed.

"You don't have to believe me, but I can tell you right now that they are going to walk through that door any minute now, perfectly fine and dandy."

I laughed.

"I'm not disagreeing with you, but they could still answer their phones, don't you think?"

She smiled and sat up to really look at me.

"Oh, you know how they get. I'm sure Finn's losing terribly, and Kurt and Blaine are egging on his frustration for a good laugh, and they're all so caught up in the fun that they've completely forgotten that they even have cell phones."

The best part of that was that I could picture it perfectly. It was exactly like them, and all I needed to do was relax.

I smiled and kissed her.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

And that's when the door slowly creaked open to three completely silent boys.

At least Carole was half right.

Kurt was on the verge of tears, he was so angry, and Finn looked like he'd just killed someone, and Blaine... Blaine just looked like he couldn't have possibly been more lost.

They just stared at us, almost like they were waiting to be sentenced for committing a crime.

"Uh... guys?"

Kurt and Blaine both looked at me, but Finn kept his eyes on the ceiling.

"You want to share what's going on here?"

Blaine sat down in a chair, away from the other two, and Kurt sighed bitterly.

I almost didn't even want to hear the story, it was so uncomfortable.

"_Finn_, I think this one is yours to take."

Finn shot a look at Kurt, like he couldn't understand why he was so _angry_ about whatever had happened.

He sighed and sat down on the cabinet in front of us.

He explained how those same guys from the restaurant had been at the mini golf place and were right behind them the whole time. Apparently, though, they didn't even say anything to them the entire night. They didn't even act like they'd ever seen Kurt and Blaine kiss, like they didn't care in the slightest that they were playing mini golf right in front of them.

But...

"I might have gotten a little bit carried away."

His shoulders were hunched, and his fingers were loosely interlaced, and he just looked so guilty.

"What do you mean... _carried away_?"

I tried to read Kurt and Blaine's faces for any kind of answer, but Blaine was completely blank, and Kurt was too furious.

"I might have... I might have hit him in the face with a golf club?"

Carole sighed and covered her face with her hand.

"But it was only once. And it was an accident!"

Kurt shot him one of his more terrible looks.

"Sort of," Finn mumbled.

I got where Finn was coming from.

Finn and I had a lot in common in that way. We both were quick to get angry and quick to lash out whenever something we cared about was in danger.

And the fact that those guys didn't even say anything to Kurt and Blaine on the mini golf course, only made it even worse for Finn. He had to stand there and let it build, just waiting for the moment those assholes had something to say.

And, eventually, he just broke.

Which is why I couldn't understand what Kurt was so pissed about.

"It's fine, though. The other guy is fine, and we're all fine. We're just... we aren't ever allowed to visit that mini golf establishment again for the rest of our lives."

He clapped his hands and tried to smile.

"I think that's perfectly acceptable."

I had to give Finn credit for trying to cheer up a tough situation.

Even Blaine was trying to laugh along with him.

But Kurt was angrier than ever.

"Finn, can you please just not assault any more complete strangers on this vacation?"

Finn turned to him.

"Dude, I'm sorry, but what the hell is going on with you? I was just trying to -"

"You weren't _trying_ to do anything, Finn. You acted without thinking about the consequences in the slightest, and you certainly weren't thinking about how Blaine and I would feel about it!"

Kurt looked to Blaine, whose mouth was slightly agape with no idea of what he was supposed to do or say.

Kurt's eyes welled up with tears, and he turned to escape on the balcony.

Blaine stood up to follow him, but I put up a hand to get him to sit back down.

I needed to talk to Kurt myself, and I needed to know what this whole thing was really about.

I sat down next to him on the balcony, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and just let him cry at first. Kurt always felt better after he let some of the initial stuff go, and I needed him to feel as good as he could if I was ever going to figure this out.

And he wanted to feel good, and he wanted to explain it to me.

I just needed to wait for him to be ready.

And after a few moments, he sat up and wiped his eyes.

"God, Dad... I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me."

I smiled and looked right at him, letting him know that there was no way in hell we were leaving it at something as untrue as that statement.

"Kurt."

He laughed and shook his head.

"No, I really am. Finn was just trying to help, and I completely overreacted."

He sighed.

"It's just..."

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

"Do you know why I really wanted to go on this trip?"

So, it was a lot bigger than just the one incident. I had absolutely no idea what to say.

"I wanted to know if maybe these things actually got better."

He tried to laugh, and I could see the tears coming back again.

"If maybe this could actually be different somewhere else. If maybe there was actually some kind of hope left for me and Blaine somewhere that isn't Ohio."

He paused and wiped his eyes again.

"I mean, I know that Virginia is no New York City, but I guess I just wanted to know what it felt like to be completely open with Blaine like Finn gets to be with Rachel. I wanted to have fun at the beach away from stupid things like this, you know?"

I nodded, and I hated it so much for him.

I hated that he'd gotten his hopes up so high for something that, when it really came down to it, he should never even have to worry about.

In a perfect world, he could love anyone he wanted to love without having to think about what might happen to him because of it.

"But I was wrong. And I guess I'm always going to be wrong."

He folded his hands in his lap.

"I guess just because a place can be this beautiful, it doesn't mean that everyone can fully appreciate it or act in that same beauty."

I was always amazed by how grown up he was, how wise beyond his years he'd always been, even when I still saw him as my little boy.

"It's never going to get better, is it, Dad? And Blaine and I will just have to deal with these kind of things for the rest of our lives, won't we?"

I stayed silent, sensing that he wasn't quite done talking.

He clenched his fists.

"I just feel so stupid. I don't know why I convinced myself that the beach was some kind of convoluted fantasy world where bad things don't happen and bad people don't exist. But they're everywhere, and it just makes me sick to think about the fact that I'm always going to need Finn to hit some guy in the face with a golf club for the rest of my life."

He rested his head on his hand.

I knew exactly how he felt.

That overwhelming sense of helplessness and of lost hope and that idea that no matter what you do, and how great other people seem to have it, you simply can't understand why you can't share in it as well.

It was exactly how I felt when Kurt's mother died, and it was exactly how Kurt had always felt for far too much of his life.

I tried to find the right words to say.

To address the present situation first and then get to what was more important.

"You know, buddy... I don't think Finn meant to make you feel that way. He just -"

"Of course he didn't, Dad. But it's not fair to him that he even felt like he had to do something! And it's not fair to Blaine and me. And it's not fair to Carole, and it's really not fair to _you_!"

That was the last thing I was expecting him to say, and I was shocked to see a fresh set of tears forming in his eyes.

I turned to him.

"Hey, what are you saying, it's not fair to me? You know that I _always_ -"

"But you shouldn't have to, Dad. You shouldn't have to deal with all of this too when you already deal with so much."

He paused.

"You almost died, Dad."

His voice was trembling.

"And I... I know that you're already stressed as it is with the shop and sending three kids to college at once, and you don't deserve to have to deal with this too. This trip was supposed to help, not make things worse."

I sighed.

I was the last person Kurt was supposed to be worrying about.

He was a teenager. His life was supposed to revolve around doing the things he loved to do, and making mistakes and spending all of his time with his boyfriend.

He wasn't supposed to have to be thinking about how my heart was taking things like this or how I had to worry about him and Blaine and Finn.

Because it was my job to worry about them, and it was _his_ job to just be him.

"Kurt, you don't need to worry about me, okay? And I am so sorry that you have to deal with people who don't understand how amazing of a kid you are."

He closed his eyes, but his tears only leaked out through his lids.

"But this is gonna get better. You'll see. And just because it's not better right here and right now does not mean you get to give up. You never get to give up, you got that?"

He nodded, and I leaned back in my chair.

"You and Blaine are going to go to New York, and it'll be like... it'll be like none of this ever even existed."

Kurt turned to me, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm really going to miss you, Dad."

I don't know how I kept myself from crying on that balcony that night.

This was my kid, my little boy going off to college... leaving me for the first time. And I really had no idea how I was going to be able to handle that.

But I gulped, and I nodded my head, and I left it for another time.

"I'm really gonna miss you too, Kurt."

He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his face.

I smiled and gave him another hug, like it was the last time I'd ever hug him, like there was nothing else in the world that could ever be more important than holding on to my kid.

"How about we go back inside? I'm sure Blaine and Finn are going crazy."

He laughed, and when we opened the door from the balcony, we were surprised to find Blaine already in bed, fighting to keep his eyelids open and Finn, armed with his crab hunting net.

"Finn, what are you -"

But before Kurt could finish the question, Finn had grabbed him around the waist and thrown him over his shoulder.

"Sweet, baby Je - Finn, what are you doing?"

I laughed.

I was always baffled by Finn and how he knew exactly when he needed to fix something.

"You and I are going to go find Alan."

_What?_

"And may I ask... who is Alan, exactly?"

Finn balked.

"Who is Alan? Kurt, you slept with this guy, and you don't even remember his name?"

Kurt could have screamed.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Finn laughed.

"Oh, this is no joke."

He turned to Blaine, who had just barely sat up.

"Blaine, you coming?"

Blaine rubbed his eyes.

"Mmm, I think I'm going to have to pass on this one."

Finn started walking to the door.

"Alright, suit yourself."

"Wait, hold on. Why does Blaine get an actual say in the matter?"

Finn didn't even consider it.

"Because I can't carry both of you _and _catch Alan, now can I?"

Kurt sighed, and Blaine laughed.

"Have fun, guys. And try to be quiet when you come in, okay?"

"Will do, Burt."

Finn opened the door, and even from the hallway, we could still hear Kurt's protests.

"Finn, could you please put me down?"

"Not a chance."

Blaine laughed, and I moved to turn off the lights.

"Wait, um... he's - he's okay, right?"

I turned around and smiled.

"Yeah, he's good."

He nodded and yawned.

"And you're alright, Blaine?"

Blaine furrowed his brow, almost like he didn't even understand the question.

"Oh... yeah. I'm fine. I'm always on board with watching Finn hit people with metal rods. Nothing to worry about here."

I laughed.

"Goodnight, Blaine."

"Goodnight, Burt."

I turned off the lights and climbed back into bed with Carole.

She snuggled up next to me.

"So?"

"So."

I laughed.

"You know, you raised a great kid. He and Kurt are trying to find that giant sand crab again."

She sat up.

"And you _let_ them go?"

"Hey, you were the one who said we shouldn't worry about them!"

She smiled and settled herself back down next to me.

"Yours is pretty great too, you know. Did you know that we are spending all day together at the outlet mall tomorrow?"

I laughed.

"I did not. But I'm sure that both of you will enjoy that very much."

"I'm sure we will. And you know... I think we can both take the credit for Blaine."

I kissed her on the forehead.

She was the perfect woman.

Always accepting, always patient, and always there to _be_ the perfect woman whenever anyone needed her.

"I love you."

She laughed.

"I love you too."

I turned off the lights, and we both fell asleep instantly.

And when I heard Blaine screaming over Kurt and Finn's laughter about an hour later, I stayed right where I was.

I stayed in bed next to my beautiful wife, and I smiled as I listened to Blaine beat the crap out of Finn with a pillow.

Because I loved them... and because it _really was_ funny.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll send me your thoughts! :)<p>

A/N: So, for some reason I'm always writing these chapters on very little sleep... and I always end up writing some really stupid gag ending. Well, for this chapter, I had something like, "And I knew I'd have to have a long talk with Alan the next day, because he was part of the family, and he mattered, now let's get some toast!" as the final line. Anyways, I just had the mental picture of Burt having one of his serious talks with a sand crab, and it made me laugh so hard that I knew I had to share it with you guys. ;D


	27. The Forking

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the absolutely lovely reviews for chapter twenty-six! I am so glad you all loved a nice chapter to laugh at - it has really been too long! Also, your love for Alan might be my favorite thing in the entire world. Sadly, though, I'm afraid that Finn had to leave him at the beach. I always imagined that Finn tried to smuggle him into the car, but Carole found out and made him leave him there. And, then, of course, Finn proceeded to mope for the entire ride home, haha! However, if Burt was ever to adopt a fourth child... it would be Alan. For sure.

Also, I finally made a Tumblr. I honestly have very little idea how to actually use this thing... but if any of you are looking for a new follower, send me your name! I'm 1nceinyourlife... the "O" was already taken!

And, now... prom!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>We were all starting to get a little nervous.<p>

I couldn't believe that it was already that time of year again, and I didn't like it one bit. It was already a day that I didn't really know how to handle... and after everything that had happened the year before, we were all walking on eggshells.

No one wanted to say it out loud, but we were all thinking it.

And Kurt hated it.

Kurt hated that all of us were so hesitant to even bring up prom, because he would much rather take on this year completely free of the past. He wanted a clean slate.

Of course, the only problem was just that none of us were anywhere close to feeling secure enough to give him that.

We just didn't want history to repeat itself.

Especially Blaine.

He was taking every single precaution and luxury to make sure that this year was _perfect_. There was no taking chances, and they were only in it to have as much fun as possible.

He simply refused to let anything bad happen.

For him and for Kurt.

Because the year before, Blaine had just been Kurt's nameless boyfriend, the curly haired kid who'd stepped up to dance with him.

But this year he was somebody. People knew him _and_ Kurt. They were two separate targets, and even though Blaine was keeping his head held high about the whole thing, I knew that that scared the shit out of him.

Both of them had already been through so much with both McKinley's prom and the dance at Blaine's old school, and this was their last opportunity to do it right.

Which is exactly why Blaine got so angry when Kurt's phone buzzed one Friday night after dinner, the week before prom.

Kurt, Blaine, and Finn were in the living room watching a movie while Carole and I were cleaning up the kitchen.

Blaine's head was in Kurt's lap on the couch, and Finn was on the floor.

Kurt scooped up his phone but froze immediately after reading the words on the screen.

Blaine rolled onto his back to look up at him.

"Hey, you okay?"

But Kurt was so flustered that Blaine had even noticed that he dropped the phone right onto Blaine's face.

"Ah... ow, _shit_, Kurt. What was that for?"

Blaine grabbed the phone before Kurt could and sat up.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to - did that hurt?"

Blaine smiled.

"It just got me right in the tooth."

Kurt kissed him on the lips.

"Any better?"

Blaine nodded.

"Much."

Carole and I had been watching all of this from the kitchen, but Finn was still on the floor trying to enjoy the movie.

"Stop your kissing! It's getting to the good part!"

Kurt just rolled his eyes, and Blaine went back to Kurt's phone.

The look on _his_ face was one of even more disbelief than Kurt's had been.

It was clear that Kurt knew exactly how Blaine was going to react, and he tried to grab the phone away and administer damage control before Blaine could even say a word.

But he was too late.

"_Karofsky?_"

Finn just about choked on a piece of popcorn.

"Wait, what are we talking about now?"

But Kurt and Blaine completely ignored him.

Blaine looked so hurt, but I knew that there was no way in hell that Kurt had kept any kind of relationship with Karofsky a secret from Blaine again.

He just needed to explain himself.

"Kurt, what is this? Since when are we on speaking terms with him again... and why didn't you tell me about this?"

Kurt took a deep breath.

"Blaine, we are _not_ on speaking terms with him. This is the first time he's texted me in months, honestly. I am just as surprised as you are right now."

Blaine looked to the phone again.

"Well, apparently, he'd like to have lunch with you Sunday afternoon."

Finn was shamelessly looking back and forth at the two of them, clutching his popcorn bowl and just _waiting_ for one of them to explode.

Carole and I were doing our bests not to be completely obvious that we were listening, but I'm sure our complete lack of movement in the kitchen was something of a dead give away.

"Yes, apparently he would."

Blaine blinked a few times in succession.

"And what are you going to tell him?"

Kurt crossed his arms.

"I haven't made a decision yet."

Blaine's jaw dropped.

"Kurt, this guy -"

"Is just like you and me. And he's asking for my help!"

"He threw me in a dumpster _last week_, Kurt!"

Kurt sighed.

"Which is even more of an incentive for me to help him! He's frustrated and confused, and he doesn't know how to take his anger out in a constructive way."

Blaine just shook his head.

"You're not going."

Kurt's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry?"

"You're _not_ going, Kurt. I'm not letting you set yourself up to get hurt."

Blaine was being so forceful, and Carole and I were practically paralyzed with anticipation.

"Blaine, this isn't your decision to make. You can't tell me what to do."

Blaine's voice was suddenly even louder.

"Kurt, don't you see what this is? There's one week until prom, and suddenly _Karofsky_ is texting you? That's a red flag, Kurt. It's a trap... and you're just too compassionate of a person to see that."

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and looked right into his eyes.

"I know what I'm getting myself into, and it's not a trap. I would never do anything that would hurt me... or us. I need you to trust me, Blaine. Please?"

Blaine sighed.

"I trust _you_, Kurt. It's _him_ I don't trust."

Finn leaned forward to pop his head into the conversation.

Kurt jumped, having actually forgotten that he had been sitting there the whole time.

"Can I just say that I don't trust him either?"

Finn threw another piece of popcorn into his mouth, and Kurt slowly turned his head to face him.

"This is none of your business, Finn."

Finn was in complete disbelief.

"_Of course _this is my business. I'm your big brother, and it's as much of my business as it is Blaine's. I don't care what Karofsky's going through. You're not going to that thing."

Kurt turned his entire body to face Finn.

"Let's get a few things straight. First, you are only my big brother by size. I am two and a half months older than you."

Finn rolled his eyes.

"Second, you do not get to decide who I do and do not get lunch with."

He looked back to Blaine.

"Neither of you do."

Finn smiled and crossed his arms, as if he had suddenly come up with one of his more brilliant ideas.

"You know, you're right about that. We don't get to decide."

Kurt's eyebrows raised.

"Well, thank you, Finn. I -"

"Wait, you didn't let me finish."

Finn's smile grew.

"While we don't get to decide, our parents _do_."

Blaine smiled like he knew exactly what Carole and I were going to say, and when he turned around to call us from the kitchen, we immediately attempted to look like we hadn't been listening to them for all of that time.

"Hey, Burt? Carole? Could you come in here for a minute?"

We looked at each other and walked into the living room.

Kurt was already trying to formulate the perfect argument, and Finn and Blaine were more confident than ever.

"What's going on, guys?"

Finn laughed.

"Oh, please. Don't pretend like you haven't been in there listening to this!"

I shot him a glare, remembering that _he_ was the only one who knew just how much I eavesdropped on all of them.

Kurt sighed.

"Dad, Dave has invited me to lunch on Sunday, and I would like to go. If it... um, _if it so pleases_ you and Carole, um... may I?"

Finn rolled his eyes.

Carole sat down in my chair, and all eyes were on her.

"I think that it's Kurt's decision."

Blaine and Finn absolutely could not believe what they were hearing.

"Honey, if you want to go, you should go. Maybe you can actually knock some kind of sense into him. You're the only one who's been able to get through to him this far, right?"

Kurt smiled in satisfaction.

"That is true, and you make a fantastic point. Right, Dad?"

They all turned to me, and it was clear that all three of them were completely convinced that I would go with their choice.

It was two against two, and in a way, I was the deciding factor.

I didn't want to see my son get hurt, but I wasn't prepared to crush his hope in humanity either.

It was a tough one, but I knew what I had to say.

"Kurt, I think you should go."

Kurt looked like he'd just won a marathon, and Blaine looked like he was about to start screaming.

"_What?_ You, of all people, are choosing his side on this?"

I sighed.

"Now, Blaine, I understand that you're -"

"_No!_" he yelled, "You clearly don't understand at all, or you wouldn't be letting him make such a stupid mistake!"

Finn's mouth was slightly hanging open, and Kurt looked like he just wanted to disappear.

But Blaine was absolutely livid.

And I had to shut him down before the whole thing got completely out of hand.

"Hey, watch your mouth, Blaine. Carole and I have made a decision, and if you don't like it, _tough_. But that's the way it is, got that?"

He nodded with his eyes glued to the floor, completely unable to look up at me.

"Good. Now -"

I looked up at the television to say something about the movie, but the credits were rolling.

I sighed.

"Sorry, Finn. Looks like you missed the good part."

He grabbed the remote and quickly hit the rewind button, trying to alleviate the awkwardness of the whole situation.

"Nope. See, we can just -"

But before he could finish, Blaine had stood up off the couch and stormed upstairs.

Kurt just sighed and shook his head with no intention to go after him.

Finn was still rewinding, but he wasn't paying any attention to the actual pictures on the screen.

"Finn, you just missed the good part," Kurt said monotonously.

He quickly hit play, cleared his throat, and leaned back up against the couch with his popcorn.

There was nothing for me to say to Blaine, regardless of how I felt about the first real argument those two had had in months.

And it'd all been over this same person who had made both of their lives living hells.

I never completely understood why Kurt felt so compelled to do everything that he could to be there for Dave, but I knew that it was something that really only _he _could understand.

I left it to experience, and I knew that my son knew what he was doing.

If he needed to help Dave out, well, I had to be there for him. I'd want someone to help out my own kid, and I knew that if there was anyone who was great at helping people... it was Kurt.

The only real trouble was Blaine.

And he was still upset about the whole thing that next day, as Finn was in need of the perfect way to serenade Rachel as an _official_ asking to prom.

Apparently, her and Finn were all set to go, but he hadn't done some huge romantic gesture to ask her yet.

And he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do.

So, he went to Kurt and Blaine... the serenading kings.

Somehow, Finn had managed to get the two of them to sit at the kitchen table together and help him with this, even though they were still in the midst of an argument.

I was grilling dinner right outside the kitchen door, and I made a point to go in and out of the house as much as possible.

It was the first time those two had even looked at each other since the night before, and it was the first time any of us had seen Blaine.

Finn stood next to the table with one of Kurt's whiteboards.

"Alright, gentlemen. This is serious business. _Rachel_."

He paused.

"What does she like?"

Kurt sighed.

"Really, Finn? You don't know what _she likes_?"

Finn fidgeted with the top of a marker.

"Well, not when it comes to stuff like this. I've already done 'Bella Notte,' and that didn't even work! I'm fresh out of ideas here, guys."

He paused.

"I really need your help."

And I think that was when the two of them realized that they had to put this whole thing aside for a few minutes and give Finn a hand with this.

Blaine stepped up first.

"Finn, Rachel likes a lot of things. But, above all, she likes _you_. Everybody here knows that. So, whatever you end up doing, it needs to be something that comes from _your_ heart. She doesn't want Kurt and I to ask her to prom. She wants you to. So, just... be you, Finn, and she'll love it."

Kurt smiled.

That was the Blaine he needed to hear.

He raised a finger.

"But, Finn..."

Finn turned his head to Kurt, clearly needing something a lot more concrete than Blaine's advice.

"You should change the words to a song from her favorite musical to ask her. And then sing it to her in front of the glee club."

Blaine laughed.

That was the _Kurt_ he needed to hear.

"He's right. She'll love that."

Finn stood up straight and put his marker down.

"Perfect!"

He leaned over the table again.

"Now, um... which musicals does she like, again?"

Kurt hit his palm to his forehead, and Blaine just started laughing.

But, eventually, the three of them picked a musical.

And they wrote the song together.

And before the night was over, Blaine had given Kurt his blessing to go with Karofsky the next day.

I loved how simple things had become with them.

They'd been together for more than a year, and they could always work these things out... even if it took a little bit longer than they might have wanted.

They were always there for each other, and they had to trust each other wholly and truly to make it all work.

And even if Blaine still didn't like the idea, he was there for Kurt. And he always would be.

But that next day, Blaine sat in the living room with his eyes glued to the front door, waiting for Kurt to come home.

Finn and I tried to keep him company, but I swear to God, he must have sat there for three hours, tapping his foot and biting his nails. Just waiting. And checking his phone every few seconds to make sure Kurt hadn't texted him that something bad had happened.

But when Kurt finally _did_ come through the front door, Blaine didn't need a text message.

His eyes were red, and when Blaine stood up and wrapped his arms around him, the tears only came even faster.

Finn and I just looked uncomfortably at each other.

None of us had any idea what was going on, and Kurt had just settled his head in the crook of Blaine's neck right in front of the door.

And Blaine was just holding him there, letting him go and wishing that none of it ever had to happen.

But, eventually, Kurt pulled away, wiped his eyes, and laughed.

"I'm sorry. This is so stupid, and I -"

"Kurt, will you sit down and tell us what happened?"

He looked over at me, as if he hadn't even noticed that Finn and I had been sitting there when he walked in, and the two of them made their way to the couch.

I was happy that Finn stayed there as well.

He always knew how to make these things better, and I could always count on him to make some kind of open-ended threat toward Karofsky that would certainly make _me_ feel better.

"Dad, it really wasn't a big deal."

I crossed my arms and sat down on the coffee table in front of him.

"You're crying like it's a big deal."

He smiled, and that made everybody else smile.

"It really wasn't, though. I was actually having a nice time until the end."

Blaine shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"He told me that he's finally told his dad, and that's really helped him a lot, but... but he's still not ready to tell anyone else. And when I kept telling him that he is ready, and he is strong... he eventually just sort of freaked out."

Finn clenched his fists.

"He used a few... choice words, that I will not repeat now, and I may have used a few myself. And I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with this. It's lie... he wants my help, he doesn't want my help. He says he's going to change, he _doesn't_ change. It's like... I know he can, he just _hasn't_ yet."

He groaned and grabbed Blaine's hand.

"You were right, Blaine. I shouldn't have gone, and I'm sorry for not listening to you in the first place."

But that was the last thing he wanted to hear.

Blaine was waiting all day to hear that he had been wrong about the whole thing... that this whole Karofsky thing could really be behind them.

He sighed.

"I wasn't right. He was just... really, really wrong, Kurt. And we are not letting him ruin prom, okay? That is... that is not happening."

Kurt smiled and nodded.

And I looked to Finn, who was giving it everything he had to sit still rather than storm out and get some revenge.

But after everything that had happened at the beach... Finn and I were both trying to keep our tempers in check.

And he knew that as long as Kurt was saying that he was alright, he'd have to believe that.

So, in that week that led up to prom, they all tried to pretend like the whole thing had never even happened.

Finn serenaded Rachel, and she_ did_ love it, and the guys picked out the perfect tuxes. Kurt kept his in his own style, of course... but did elect for pants this year.

And when the night finally came, they could not have been more excited.

Their fears were behind them, and the only thing left to do before Finn went to pick up Rachel was let Carole take as many pictures of the three of them as one memory card could hold.

It was fun, actually. And it was the first time I didn't have knots in my stomach about the whole prom thing in the first place.

They were smiling, and they were excited, and they were taking these pictures that are still hanging in my shop to this day... and I really had no choice but to be just as happy and excited as they were.

But when Carole finally let them leave, my instincts set in, and I grabbed Finn by the arm.

He turned around, and before I could even say a word, he was winking and finger-gunning at me.

"You've got nothing to worry about, I promise."

I clapped him on the shoulder, and they were gone.

They were all going to stay at Puck's for the night, and because it was prom, I let it go... regardless of whether or not I actually believed that that was where they'd be spending the night.

But, right around midnight, I got a call from an unknown number.

My heart was racing, and my mind was flooded with about a thousand different horrible things that could have happened to them.

I didn't want to answer it.

I wanted to just throw the phone across the room and never let it give me any bad news ever again.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Hummel?"

The voice was unfamiliar, and the room she was in was loud and bustling.

It was a hospital. I knew it.

Something terrible had happened to them, and I genuinely didn't know if I was going to be able to handle hearing what she had to say.

There was already a lump in my throat.

"That's me."

"Alright, Mr. Hummel, this is Karen from the Lima Police Department."

They were dead. They'd been murdered, and Karen was about to tell me how I had to come pick up their bodies.

"We've got your kids in a holding cell, and I'm going to need you to come pick them up."

All of my anxiety just turned to confusion.

"I'm sorry, Karen... could you repeat that?"

She sighed into the phone.

"Sir, we've got your kids detained for..."

I could hear her flipping through a stack of papers.

"Breaking city curfew, trespassing on private property, vandalism, and marijuana possession. They're free to go, but you have to be the one to release them."

I had no idea what she was saying. It was like she was speaking in a different language, and I almost couldn't even formulate a response that she could actually understand.

But I just blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"You've got _all three_ of them?"

"The two little ones and the big one, yep. We've got all three of them, alright."

If I hadn't been seething with anger, that would have made me laugh.

I tried to find my coat, and I scribbled a note for a sleeping Carole, just incase she woke up while I was gone.

And to give her an explanation for why I had killed all three of them.

"Yeah... yeah, that's them. I'm coming to pick them up."

I hung up the phone, and I tried to calm myself down on the ride to the police station.

I couldn't believe it.

And even though the back of my mind kept telling me that there had to be an explanation for the whole thing, I was furious that they would do something so stupid.

That somehow, they'd managed to ruin prom.

They'd screwed the whole thing up for themselves, and I was so disappointed.

That wasn't how it was supposed to be.

They were supposed to go to prom and enjoy themselves, not get themselves _arrested_.

I tried to remember all of the things Karen had said they'd done.

Something about a curfew... and _pot_. That was the one I really didn't get.

I was there for the seventies. Yeah, I did that stuff in high school. I'm not proud of it, not one bit, and my dad would have kicked my ass if he'd known about it.

But it wasn't them. It didn't fit who they were and what they wanted out of life.

Me? I was going to junior college to become a mechanic.

But them? They were going to New York to follow their dreams, and for them to get mixed up in something as stupid as all of that just wasn't like them at all.

But I had to push all of it aside to go into the police station.

I walked up to the front desk, and I could already hear the sound of a harmonica resonating through the building.

Well, Finn making harmonica noises, that is.

"Finn, we are in jail. This is _prison_. Do you, in any way or form, understand the severity of what is happening right now?"

I started signing the release papers.

"Shove it, Hummel. Let the man be a harmonica."

"Oh, shove it right back at you, Puckerman!"

So, it wasn't just the three of them.

Things were starting to make a lot more sense.

"Kurt, you need to cool it. We need to try to enjoy what little time we have left in our lives before Burt _ends them_."

Finn was still making his harmonica sounds.

The lady at the front desk took my papers and sighed.

"Please tell me you're here for the harmonica kid."

And that _really_ would have been funny if I hadn't been so pissed.

"Yeah... he's mine."

"Oh, thank God."

She stood up and handed me three plastic bags filled with all of their stuff. Wallets, keys, phones, gum... it was weird to be holding all of the things that were so important to them at one time. I felt so powerful.

She led me to the cell.

"Dude, you need to relax. We're going to be fine."

"I wouldn't sound so sure about that, Finn."

There they were.

Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Puck, Sam, Artie, and Mike.

All in one cell, still wearing their tuxedos but looking like absolute hell.

Kurt looked furious, Blaine's face was actually starting to turn green, and Finn had frozen as soon as he heard my voice, letting the crown he'd been tossing in the air clammer to the ground.

She opened the cell door, and the four of us walked to the car in silence.

And I drove home without anyone saying a single word.

I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

I didn't know how to handle three guys who'd just gotten out of jail on the night of their senior prom.

I wanted to scream and get in their faces and really tear the whole thing apart.

But I knew that that was the furthest thing in the world from the best way to handle it.

I knew that I was still so far from being in a rational enough state to actually talk to them. So, I just kept my mouth shut until we got home.

We all walked inside, and the three of them sat in their usual spots on the couch.

It felt so _done_.

I felt like I'd lectured the three of them about one thing or another so many times while they sat in those spots on that couch... and I just didn't want to do it anymore.

I didn't want to say the same things over and over to them again.

I didn't want them to feel like this whole thing was just another lecture or just another time that I'd yelled at them for doing something stupid.

I was over that.

And I knew that I had to do something different.

So, I went into the kitchen and brought back three glasses of whiskey.

I set them on the coffee table, and all three of them looked up at me in confusion.

"Drink up, guys."

No one moved.

They were all completely paralyzed in uncertainty.

"Blaine, go first."

His jaw dropped open, and he looked to Kurt and Finn for reassurance.

"I... I don't think I want to."

He was holding his hands together to keep them from shaking.

"I didn't ask if you wanted to."

I grabbed the glass from the table and held it up to him.

"Drink it."

He hesitantly took it from me and smelled it like he was checking for some kind of fatal poison.

He moved to hold his nose.

"Nope."

His face fell, and I could see him trying to come up with the courage to just do it.

Finn and Kurt were just thanking their lucky stars that it wasn't them.

Blaine tilted his head back and drank a much larger swig than I was anticipating.

He swallowed, and his face contorted in pain. His eyes were watering, and he was coughing to try to get that burning out of the back of his throat. He dropped the glass back onto the table and wiped his mouth.

He looked up at me, trying to determine if he'd really proven whatever point I was trying to make.

He had, and Kurt and Finn looked terrified.

"How'd that feel, buddy?"

Blaine's face said it all even before he did.

"Like shit?"

I laughed.

"Yeah. Yeah, that was kind of the point."

All three of them were still so confused.

"Do you guys have any idea what it feels like to get a call from an unknown number on a night like tonight?"

Finn sighed.

"Like shit."

I picked up his glass.

"Go ahead, see if it feels like thinking your kids are dead."

He hesitated, blinked a few times, and threw it back.

He winced as it made its way down his throat, and I could see Kurt fearing what he already knew was coming.

"Yeah... wow. That is... that's strong."

He tried to clear his throat but just ended up choking a little bit.

Kurt sighed.

"I'm just going to..."

He grabbed his own glass, toasted to the air, and drank it down.

His was easily the worst reaction. I actually thought he was just going to throw it up right as he swallowed. But he got it down, and managed not to spill any of it on his tuxedo.

"I think I just cleared my sinuses for the rest of my life."

I laughed.

"Guys?"

They all popped their heads to attention, hoping that this whole thing could finally be done with.

"Tell me what happened tonight."

Blaine was quick to start.

"We went to fork Karofsky."

I had no idea what that meant.

"You went to _fork_ him?"

He looked surprised.

"Yeah, like... cover his yard in plastic forks but then break off the handles so that he doesn't know that they're there, and then when he tries to mow the lawn... well, you can imagine. And he'd have to dig every single fork out by hand."

It was practically maniacal.

I had no idea how kids thought of things like that.

"So, we had our forks, and we were at Karofsky's... but someone ran by the house while we were in the middle of the whole thing, and before we knew it, the cops were there."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, then they were just going to drive us home, but they found Mike's weed in his pocket... and, well, _then_ the whole thing just sort of blew out of proportion."

Blaine looked to the other two, trying to determine whether or not he should keep on with the story.

He looked back at me.

"But it was _Mike's_ weed. It wasn't ours. We didn't have any and weren't going to either."

Finn nodded enthusiastically.

"So, really... we just forked Karofsky's house. Well, we forked like... two-thirds of the front lawn. So... so, this really isn't as bad as you might think!"

He was searching for a way to make the whole thing just go away.

"We were just trying to get back at him for everything that happened with Kurt, and even though we probably did not choose the best way of going about the whole thing... I, for one, do not regret it."

That was not what I was expecting him to say.

"Because he's a prick, and he doesn't get to do that to Kurt."

Kurt squirmed in his seat, like the whole thing was his fault.

"But it wasn't fair to you for any of this to happen, and it wasn't fair that you had to go through thinking that something awful had happened to us. Because that's..."

He swallowed a lump in his throat.

"That's terrible. And we never meant to do anything like that. It was just... prom, and we got a little carried away. And while I do think that this is still an improvement from last year's prom... we screwed up. And we're sorry."

He was talking so fast and trying to come up with the right words in the best way he could.

Of course, Finn and Kurt were just happy that he was so prepared to say anything at all. The two of them were still kind of in a haze from the alcohol.

I was silent.

He'd just said all of that, and I wasn't sure how to continue, really.

They were just looking at me, waiting.

"Um, Burt?"

"Yeah, Blaine?"

His face fell.

"Could you, please... yell at us or something now?"

I laughed, and it only made them even more terrified.

"I'm not going to yell at you, guys."

They were all in complete stunned surprise.

I don't think I've ever seen them so overwhelmingly confused about anything in their lives.

"Look, the next time you decide to _fork_ someone, just tell me about it first, alright? We avoid this whole thing, and you don't end up in prison. It's a win win."

Kurt closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Wait, hold on. Are you saying that we got arrested tonight, but we're not in trouble?"

I smiled.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying."

Blaine laughed, and Finn was still just as confused as ever.

"Now, go upstairs. I'm sure you've got to be exhausted."

Kurt and Blaine's eyes quickly flashed to Finn, and I knew there was something else they wanted to say.

"Finn? Something on your mind?"

His head popped back to me.

"Oh, no... no, it's nothing."

I laughed.

It was prom night. He was a senior in high school.

And he had a girlfriend.

Who he hadn't slept with yet.

"You're supposed to meet Rachel, right?"

He sighed.

"Like... twenty minutes ago, yeah."

Kurt and Blaine weren't sure if this was such a great idea.

"You want to go?"

Finn narrowed his eyes.

"Is this a trick question?"

"Nope."

He raised his eyebrows.

"You're sure?"

I sighed.

"Finn -"

"Yes, I'd... I'd like to go with Rachel."

He laughed uncomfortably.

"Then go."

Kurt and Blaine absolutely could not believe it.

I was supposed to be the ultimate cock block tonight, and even though I'd be sending the two of them off to their own rooms for the night, I was giving Finn a free pass to be with Rachel.

"Just... go?"

I laughed.

"Yeah, go. Have a good time. Just don't be too late, okay?"

I started walking toward the kitchen, and Finn scrambled to his feet to get out of there before I changed my mind.

"Will do!"

And he was out the door, leaving Kurt and Blaine still completely speechless on the couch.

"Well, he's going to be in a good mood tomorrow."

Blaine laughed.

"I don't doubt that for a second."

Kurt kissed him.

"What was that for?"

"For going to prison for me."

Blaine kissed him.

"And what was _that_ for?"

"For going to prison _with _me."

Kurt laughed, and the two of them completely forgot about the fact that I was right in the kitchen.

I let them be for a few seconds, but as the kissing continued... I knew that someone had to get cock blocked that night.

I walked back into the living room with some of Kurt's weird health snacks.

"Take it upstairs, guys."

They pulled away from each other, and Blaine's eyebrows could not believe I was actually handing them that invitation.

"I _mean_, go to bed. In your own rooms."

Kurt sulked.

"You're letting Finn sleep with _his_ girlfriend tonight."

I laughed.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. _Go to bed._"

They smiled at one another and let this one go.

They went upstairs, and before I knew it, I was waking up in my chair to Finn coming in the front door.

"Oh my God... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

I sat up straight.

"Hm? No, it's fine. I should actually _go_ to bed, anyways."

He laughed.

"Yeah. Yeah... me too."

I noticed that he was _still_ holding that crown.

"Prom King, huh?"

I stood up and walked over to him.

"Oh, uh. Yeah, Prom King."

He didn't really feel comfortable with it.

"And... Prom _Queen_?"

He smiled.

"Mercedes. It was really nice, actually. And much better than last year."

I clapped him on the back.

"Well, hey. Congratulations, Finn."

He laughed.

"Yeah, thanks."

I started walking up the stairs, but his feet were glued to the floor.

"Hey, Burt?"

I turned around.

"Yeah?"

He was fiddling with the knobs on the crown, and he couldn't make a real decision about whether or not he was really prepared to start speaking.

"I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, but... what changed your mind tonight? You know, why didn't we all get in trouble?"

I sighed, and I knew exactly what I had to say.

"You'll understand when you're a dad whose kids are about to leave him, Finn."

His face fell.

"You still feeling that whiskey?"

He smiled.

"Yeah, little bit."

I nodded.

"That's what it feels like."

He wanted to say something, but he just couldn't.

He didn't know what he'd say, and that was all that I needed to get the message loud and clear.

"Goodnight, Finn."

He snapped out of it.

"Yeah... goodnight."

I made my way back up the stairs and left him with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll send me your thoughts! :)<p> 


	28. The Children

Thank you, thank you, thank you SO MUCH for all of your phenomenal reviews for the last chapter! I'm so glad that you all liked the little spin on prom, and I will tell you right now that I did _not_ come up with the idea of forking! I am not that brilliant... or that insane! :)

Next, I just want to say that I promise I will be getting to all of your reviews as soon as I can! I am just very, very tired at this very moment and have got to get a bit of shut eye before tomorrow morning. However, I will be responding to every single one of them just as soon as I get the opportunity to tomorrow. I promise I haven't forgotten about you, and I absolutely love reading and responding to all of your reviews!

Also, I'm sorry that this chapter is a little bit later than usual. I had to put my dog of twelve years to sleep three days ago, and it has just been very tough getting back into the swing of things. I promise that I'm alright, and it was definitely her time, but it was still a bit of a world-ender for a few days. But I am back on my feet and ready to pump out the next few chapters!

And there's one last thing I know that you will all be interested in! The lovely bjaarcy wrote a spinoff story for chapter twenty-six, hilariously and perfectly documenting Finn's goodbye to Alan the sand crab. All of you should check out this story (titled "Goodbye, Alan"), because I know you'll love it! :)

Until next time (nationals!)...

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>They really were growing up.<p>

I think that's the hardest thing in the world for a dad to admit to himself, but it was true. And as much as I wanted to try to forget it, they were always finding ways to remind me.

Kurt and Blaine were constantly talking about everything they needed to do before they left for New York, and Finn would sit on the curb waiting for the mailman to bring him any information on NYU every single afternoon.

But even with all of that, I think the moment I really realized just how grown up they were was when the four of us were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner one night.

Blaine was sorting through the silverware in the dishwasher, and Kurt was trying to help Finn get a hot sauce stain out of his shirt.

"You know, Finn, this would be a lot easier if you'd just take the shirt _off_."

"But I've got to be at Rachel's in ten minutes!"

"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you wore your one nice shirt to a dinner you knew would be messy!"

Finn kept his mouth shut and let Kurt continue scrubbing at the spot.

Blaine laughed, and when I turned to look at him, I noticed something I'd never seen before on one of his fingers.

At first, I thought it was just my imagination.

But as I kept looking at it, I could distinctly make out two black lines on the ring finger of his right hand that had never been there before.

"Hey, Blaine?"

I walked over to him, and he didn't even look up from the silverware he was still sorting.

"Yep?"

I grabbed his wrist, and he panicked, letting all of the silverware in his hands hit the floor with a loud crash.

"Well, I guess that was the answer I was looking for."

He sighed and looked to Kurt, who was trying to plan how to deal with the whole situation.

I held his hand up to my face and got a good look at that finger.

It was simple and discreet. Just a black _V_ emblazoned on his skin.

I let go of his wrist and took in the look on his face. He had no idea what he was supposed to be feeling. Terrified? Guilty? Remorseful?

I turned to Kurt and Finn.

"Let me guess. You all got them?"

Finn shook his head, very proud of himself for being the only one of them who hadn't gone out and done something stupid.

Kurt looked at him in disgust.

"Finn was _going_ to get one too, but he passed out when he saw the needle. It was embarrassing, to say the least."

Finn's cheeks reddened.

"But to answer your question... yes. I have one too."

Kurt was confident. His shoulders were back, and his face was bold and ready to argue anything I had to say about it.

I crossed my arms.

"Well, let's see it, then."

He rolled his eyes and put the rag he'd been using to clean Finn's shirt on the counter.

He walked over to me and held up his right index finger to reveal a black smiley face.

My face fell.

You see, when Kurt was little, he'd always curl up in his mom's lap when he was sad. And she'd grab a marker and draw a smiley face on that finger to always remind him to smile even when things weren't going his way or the world was against him, because he had so many people who loved him and thought he was the most perfect little boy in the world.

And every time, it made him feel better. Every time, she'd kiss his finger, and he'd kiss her, and the tears would be gone.

All because of one little smiley face.

There was no way I could be mad at either one of them.

Not with that.

It was too special, and I couldn't even formulate the right words to say to him.

"Dad?"

I sort of snapped out of it.

"Yeah, Kurt?"

His eyes were wide.

"Are you going to be alright?"

I laughed.

"Yeah, I'm fine... and I like that. It's nice."

His eyes widened even more.

"You _like_ it?"

I looked to Blaine and Finn who mirrored Kurt's expression perfectly.

"I do. I do like it. You know, you guys are eighteen now, and... well, you can get tattoos without needing my say so, right? So, that's... that's it, I guess."

All three of them were frozen, and Blaine was eying that silverware on the floor, trying to decide if his stillness and my decision were in any way correlated.

"That's it?"

"Yeah, Kurt. That's it."

I patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the kitchen as Blaine scrambled to pick up all of the silverware.

They weren't kids anymore. They were men. They were _tattooed_ men.

And what would getting mad at them do? Get rid of their tattoos?

Not a chance.

It would've only made me angrier and kept them from ever telling me anything that was going on in their lives once we weren't all living in the same house anymore.

Still, I hated that they hadn't just told me about it in the first place.

That they already felt so grown up that they didn't ever have to tell me anything they didn't want to.

They had every right to feel that way... but I still didn't like it.

And when I told Carole about all of it, she didn't like it either.

As we were getting ready to go to sleep that night, she could not believe that the two of them had actually gone through with getting tattoos.

"I mean, they mentioned it to me, sure. I told them I liked the idea, but I never thought they'd actually go through with it!"

"Wait, they told you about this?"

She laughed, seeing nothing strange about them telling her but not me.

"Well, yeah... sure, they did. But only as a hypothetical situation, not like they were going to go out the next day and actually get tattoos."

I pulled up the covers and climbed into bed.

"It's weird, isn't it?"

She followed suit.

"Yeah, I guess it kind of is. I mean... when did this happen? When did they grow up?"

She snuggled up next to me.

"We blinked."

She laughed.

"We blinked alright."

I sighed.

"I don't know... I guess it's their attitudes about the whole thing that have got me a little worried."

She looked up at me.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, how they didn't even tell us about this. Don't you think they're trying to grow up a little bit _too_ fast?"

She considered it, and while I knew that she was concerned about the whole thing, I also knew that how fast Finn was growing up was something that had been worrying her for a long time now.

This wasn't a new thing for her in the same way it was for me, and I could see how happy it made her that our fears had finally collided.

"Maybe we could try to... slow them down?"

"What do you mean?"

She was smiling like she'd been turning over this idea for awhile now.

"We could stage an intervention."

I laughed.

"You think that would work?"

She knew it would.

"Sure! We could just do something that would remind them that they're not quite as old as they think they are."

"Like what?"

She sort of pretended that she hadn't already thought through this entire plan, and I loved that about her. She was always prepared and ready for anything but also always wanted to be precise in her timing.

And the time was finally perfect.

"Well, you know those boxes in the garage with all of Kurt and Finn's old stuff?"

"I do."

She smiled up at me.

"We could throw them out."

I had no idea what she was talking about. It sounded like the opposite of the right thing to do.

"Throw them out?"

"Not _actually_ throw them out. We'll just pretend to throw them out in plan view of the boys. They'll go crazy when they see that stuff being thrown in the trash, you know them. It'll be perfect."

I laughed.

It really was a great plan. If there was one thing that I knew for certain, it was that all three of them really were still kids at heart. Their challenges and their fears had grown, but when it really came down to it, I knew that Kurt would still love to have another tea party someday. And I knew that Finn would still be more than ready to stage a war with his G.I. Joe's if he thought that no one was looking. And Blaine... Blaine still had a tattered stuffed bunny rabbit hidden in one of his pillowcases.

"You know, I really think you might be on to something here."

She laughed.

"We'll get those boxes down tomorrow, and when they get a look at that stuff, nostalgia is going to take over this whole house."

She sighed into the laugh, and I could see just how happy she was that we were going to do this.

"You're really getting into this, huh?"

She smiled and really considered it. She looked up at me, and her eyes were glossed with tears.

"It might be nice, you know. To have one last day to pretend like they're not leaving us in a few months."

I nodded and tried to stay strong for her.

She tried to brush away the tears, but it was to no avail.

"I don't think I'm ready for this."

I pulled her closer and rubbed her back as she let the tears flow.

Other parents got to space these things out. They send one kid off to college, and then a few years later they send the next one and then the next one.

But we didn't have that.

We were losing all three of them at one time. Three goodbyes, three heartbreaks.

Which is why it was imperative that our plan for the next day go perfectly.

Carole and I hauled all of the boxes from the garage into the living room and set up some huge trash bags to really get the point across.

And when all three of them came home from glee club practice, their reactions could not have been more perfect.

Blaine wasn't really sure what was going on, but from the fire that was practically shooting out of Kurt's eyes, he knew that there was going to have to be some quick thinking to keep him from panicking. Finn just looked like his entire world was crumbling right before his eyes.

"W- what's going on here?"

Carole stuffed his Power Rangers into a trash bag.

"Oh, we're just going through some old stuff."

She was so nonchalant, and that only made them even more horrified.

Kurt stepped up, while Blaine kept his distance to watch this whole thing unfold.

"Going through or _throwing away_?"

I laughed.

"A little bit of both, Kurt. Why? You need something?"

Kurt's jaw dropped open.

"Yes! _Yes_, we need something! How can you just throw away all of this stuff without telling us? These are valuable memories!"

I smiled.

"Really? They've just been collecting dust in garage, and since you're graduating soon, we just figured you wouldn't even _need_ this stuff."

Finn looked like he had never heard a falser statement in his life.

"The fuck we do!"

"Finn! _Language!_"

A breath caught in his throat in fear, and he calmed down enough to keep himself from digging an even deeper hole.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but this is serious business."

He was trying to be firm, and he reached across to grab the trash bag and retrieve as many Power Rangers as he could grab.

"You can't break up the red and yellow Power Rangers! It's against the laws of nature! And the laws of _love_!"

Kurt grabbed a few of them out of his hands, his face set in disbelief.

"Wait... you put red and_ yellow_ together? Red was _always_ in love with blue. They were the only stable relationship, Finn!"

Finn turned to Kurt, his eyes just about to pop out of his head.

"Are you out of your mind? _Red and yellow_, Kurt! Look at their chemistry! They're perfect for each other!"

I looked to Blaine, who was trying to go along with the whole thing but really had nothing to say. He was just standing there awkwardly, pretending to smile like he had any idea what they were talking about.

I stopped Kurt before he could rage right back at Finn.

"Alright, _hey_!"

They both turned to me, and I tried to be as stern as I could in explaining something that they were just going to have to accept as a simple truth.

"We'll go through this stuff together, okay? But some tough decisions are gonna have to be made."

Kurt sighed and looked to Finn, whose muscles were still tensed.

"Power Rangers can stay, though?"

I laughed.

"Sure. Power Rangers can stay."

Finn immediately relaxed, and everyone found a spot on the floor to start rummaging through all of the boxes that had taken over the living room.

Carole was right.

Nostalgia was all over the place.

Every time either Finn or Kurt would pull something out of a box, there'd be a story attached to it that _had_ to be told.

There were so many, "Mom, do you remember that time when..." and, "Dad, I can't believe you kept this even after..." statements that we really lost count.

We were laughing, and Carole and I loved every single moment of reliving those memories.

Finn told the story about how when he was in the first grade, he'd jumped off of a jungle gym and landed on top of a girl, knocking out her tooth and breaking his arm. The rest of the class had to spend the rest of recess looking for that little girl's tooth in the rocks of the playground. He said they never found it, and because it was entirely his fault that she'd lost the tooth in the first place, he had to write the Tooth Fairy a letter to make sure that she still got the money she deserved.

Of course, Carole still had that note, and Kurt was doubled over, he was laughing so hard.

"I was _six_! And she broke my arm! I think we should all be happy that I even had the decency to write that note."

Carole laughed with Kurt.

"You knocked out her tooth, Finn! We were lucky the school didn't expel you for jumping off of that thing in the first place."

Finn sulked.

"I still don't think that was my fault."

Kurt just shook his head.

"I can't believe that _you_ were the reason they closed that playground for the rest of the year. So much of my young life is finally starting to make sense!"

Blaine laughed along with them, but he still hadn't said anything other than agreeing with Kurt and Finn since they'd come home. He didn't go to elementary school with them. None of the things in front of him had an ounce of sentimental value to him.

What was he supposed to say?

He wanted to come up with something substantial, but he just couldn't.

Kurt continued by reminding all of us of the bloody trauma of being hit in the back of the head with a tire swing and easily segueing into the story of his starring role in his fourth grade play.

"It was the only time anyone has ever _truly_ appreciated my talent."

Blaine's eyes widened.

"Do you honestly believe that?"

Kurt nodded.

"Yes, yes I do. I played Davy Crockett in the riveting tale _of _Davy Crockett, and I was fantastic. Right, Dad?"

His eyes were lit up, and there was nothing I could do but laugh.

"You were. It was a good show, and when you threw glitter into the audience from your coon skin cap when the whole thing finished was pretty great too."

He smiled even bigger.

"That was my shining moment! And even though my teacher was so angry about such a brilliant improvisation, you stayed at the school with me all night to clean it up anyway."

I remember that night. Mopping up glitter off of a tile floor and vacuuming it up off of cloth chairs is significantly harder than you might think. But I enjoyed every moment of it, because the entire time we were cleaning, Kurt was giving me his mile long list of reasons for why Davy Crockett himself would have loved his rendition.

Kurt and Finn were laughing, and Blaine was trying to. He really was. He wanted more than anything to be able to just _get_ it like they did.

But he didn't understand. He wasn't there, and he didn't have that.

There wasn't a single person in his life who remembered those things about him. There wasn't a single memory in one of those boxes that was his own.

He didn't have anyone who'd keep it. And I knew that he wanted to be happy and enjoy all of these memories and stories, but it's hard to when you haven't got it for yourself.

And I wasn't the only one who'd noticed.

Kurt laughed along to the end of his own story and grabbed Blaine's knee.

"Why don't you tell us one, Blaine?"

He was still smiling, and I think he was a little surprised when Blaine's face didn't mirror the same expression.

"What... tell you a story?"

Kurt nodded, trying to match his enthusiasm level with Blaine's to help ease him out of his comfort zone.

"Yeah, you know... tell us anything at all."

Blaine smiled uncomfortably and looked at each of us, trying to come up with _anything at all_ to say.

He nodded and cleared his throat.

"Okay... well. Um, let's see..."

He scratched the back of his neck, and I knew that everyone was just counting down the acceptable number of seconds to let him fumble awkwardly with this before telling him that he really didn't even need to tell a story.

"Oh, here's one!"

He smiled, and Kurt's face lit up.

"So, I had this English teacher in elementary school. Really great guy."

We all liked where this was going.

"He really opened all of our eyes to a lot of great stuff, and he really wanted the best from us, you know?"

We all nodded, but I could tell that Kurt was already sensing that something was wrong.

"Well, he really got us into poetry, and so -"

Kurt's face fell.

"- we formed this club where we'd go into this cave after school and read passages aloud from the greats. You know, Whitman and -"

"Blaine?"

Kurt looked like he was about to cry, Blaine was still completely consumed in his story, and Finn had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Yes, Kurt?"

Kurt pulled his knees to his chest.

"That's the plot of _Dead Poet's Society_."

I looked to Carole, who I knew had sensed that even before Kurt had and was trying to figure out the best way to keep this from blowing up into something it didn't need to.

Blaine pretended to look puzzled.

"Oh... I guess it is then."

He laughed.

"I suppose I should have realized that I never had Robin Williams for a teacher, am I right?"

Finn laughed a lot louder than he should have, mainly because that was the only part of it that he understood and because he wanted just as much as all of us did for the whole thing to just kind of go away.

But Kurt still looked upset, and he didn't like that Blaine was just brushing this aside as if it was actually an accident.

Carole and I let it slide, though, knowing better than to make a big thing out of it when Finn had so easily started raving on about his favorite Robin Williams movies.

And Blaine just sat there listening, letting himself forget that anything had even happened that was in any way alarming.

But Kurt wasn't forgetting.

And neither were Carole and I.

We let it be, and we let Kurt ask him about it later.

And when I came home from work the next day to find a stack of mail that had been completely ignored on the coffee table, I shuffled through it mindlessly.

Which is why my heart just about stopped beating when I found a letter from NYU addressed to Finn amongst the bills and junk mail.

I held it in my hands and tried to determine if he'd actually seen it or not.

There was no way he'd just leave it on the coffee table for everyone to see. He would have taken it up to his room and stared at it for hours without telling anyone.

No, he hadn't seen it.

And I knew that he'd have to face the music eventually.

And why not rather sooner than later?

So, I took a deep breath, walked upstairs, and knocked on his door.

"Finn?"

"You can come in!"

I slowly opened the door and was surprised to find that I could actually see the floor.

The room was spotless, really, and Finn was sprawled across his bed with a _book_.

"What's going on here?"

He looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

I gestured to the floor that I then noticed was actually _vacuumed_.

He laughed.

"Oh... right. You can thank Rachel for that."

He put the book down and crossed his arms.

I knew that he wasn't really at home in a room that was more Rachel and less Finn, and I wasn't so sure if I actually wanted to thank Rachel at all.

"You like it better this way?"

He just shrugged.

"Yeah... I guess so. It's easier to get around, that's for sure."

I nodded.

Rachel was an entirely different subject, one that was not the reason I was there.

He hadn't even noticed the letter in my hand, though.

"Hey, you mind if I sit down?"

He nodded and sat up straighter.

"Yeah, sure."

He motioned for me to sit down but looked very skeptical about the whole thing.

I sat down in front of him, just as I'd done the first time this letter had come, and held it out for him to take.

He didn't panic.

He didn't even look like he knew what it was exactly.

Instead, he just peered forward and read the words on the envelope without taking it from me, without touching it at all, actually.

And when it all made sense, he slowly leaned back again, like the letter might somehow be radioactive but he didn't want to alarm me of it.

"Oh my God."

He was still staring at it.

"When did it get here?"

I just laughed.

I knew that he could do this, and the fear was all in his mind.

"Today."

He just nodded his head and kept staring at it, not sure at all what to do.

"You gonna open it?"

He gulped and tried to smile as cooly as he could.

"I mean... yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna open it."

But he didn't move a muscle.

"You gonna open it right _now_, Finn?"

His hand twitched like he was going to lurch forward and grab it out of my hand.

I gave him a look, and he took a deep breath and took it from me.

"Yes, I'm going to open it... right now."

He slowly thumbed open the envelope and looked at me.

My face was set in my confidence in him, and he knew that it was time to just do it, no matter what that letter said.

I knew he was freaking out.

We were both freaking out.

Last time was like a trial run, but this was the real thing. This was the real answer, the yes or no that we'd all been tiptoeing around and waiting so patiently for.

There wasn't a single person in his life who didn't want this for him more than anything in the world.

And the time had finally come.

I held my breath.

"I... I did it."

He laughed, and the biggest smile spread across his face.

"Oh my God. Holy... _wow_."

He rested his head on the wall behind him and closed his eyes, trying to soak up every single emotion, every single thing he'd felt for the past few months.

He'd finally gotten there, and he could finally breathe easily again.

His smile only got bigger.

"This is actually happening!"

He leaned forward again and was suddenly glued to the words on the page, trying to make sure that they were actually real, that he hadn't accidentally made a mistake.

I clapped him on the leg.

"What'd I tell you?"

He laughed and shook his head in disbelief.

"Hey, Finn?"

He looked up at me, and I honestly had never seen anyone that relieved in my entire life.

He was practically emitting happiness, and he looked like he wanted to run to the mountain tops and scream the news for the entire world to hear.

"Congratulations, and I'm really proud of you."

He laughed and put the letter down for the first time since he'd been brave enough to open it in the first place.

"Thank you. That... that means a lot to me."

And I knew that it really did.

All Finn ever wanted was to be heard. He wanted to be accepted and important and something bigger than what he already was.

And for the first time, NYU was writing to say that he _was_.

He said it himself... he'd done it.

He'd finally gotten that letter, and he'd finally done it.

"Wow. I've gotta call Rachel!"

I was a little surprised to hear that that was the first thing he was so excited and determined to accomplish, now that he'd just gotten that life-changing letter.

I thought he might want to tell his mom or Kurt and Blaine... but he'd chosen Rachel first.

I just smiled, though, and stood up to leave.

"Call away."

He reached for his cell phone, and as I shut the door behind me, I smiled as I noticed the red and yellow Power Rangers lying next to each other on his desk.

I walked back to my own bedroom, still laughing at how easy it was for Finn to be both a teenager and a child.

He wanted his girlfriend, but he also wanted his Power Rangers.

And he could so easily have both, too.

I opened the door to mine and Carole's room and was surprised to find that she wasn't the only one in there.

Blaine was snuggled up right next to her in the bed, and the two of them were looking through her scrapbooks.

It was so weird to me, and I felt like I was interrupting something so sacred.

I had to wonder how many times they'd done that.

How many times Blaine had needed a mom and gone to Carole, how many times no one had told me about it, because it simply wasn't my business.

Just from the way they were sitting, I knew that it was a whole lot more that I ever would have guessed.

And I really liked that.

He needed me, but he needed her too.

I could never in a million years be good at the things Carole's good at. She's kind and warm and nurturing, and she'd let this sad kid snuggle up next to her and look through a scrapbook. And she'd rub his head and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

Because he needed that so much more than he might've needed anything else right then.

Because he'd never had a mom either, and he'd never had someone who cared enough about the things going on in his life to print out photos and cut up construction paper and glue it all in a giant book.

Because Carole was always there whenever anybody needed her. And after everything that had happened the day before, _Blaine_ needed her. And she was more than happy to have a kid who was willing to admit that he still needed a mom.

That was all either of us really wanted... to always feel needed by our kids.

And I loved that they had that. I hated that somehow, after all this time, I'd been so blind to it, but I loved it for both of them.

"Hey, you two."

Blaine popped his head up from behind the scrapbook but stayed where he was.

"Oh, hey."

Carole just laughed.

"We were just going through a few fun memories."

She closed the book, and Blaine's face fell in understanding.

He hopped off the bed, and Carole looked at me like some huge secret had finally been revealed to the world.

I held up a hand.

"Wait, hey... you don't have to leave if -"

"No, it's fine."

He smiled.

"I'll just be downstairs."

He walked out of the room, and I sighed.

"I'm sorry."

She laughed.

"Don't apologize. These aren't going anywhere."

She lifted the books up off the bed and set them on the floor.

"Still... I didn't mean for him to have to leave."

She just shrugged.

"You two do that a lot?"

She laughed.

"I don't know if _a lot _is the right word. I like to think that I soften him up for every time he talks to you. Blaine and I only talk about the easy stuff, the happy stuff. And then I send him to you for the hard stuff."

She sighed.

"I don't know how you can stand to hear those stories from him, Burt. It breaks my heart just thinking about everything he's been through. I'm not even sure how you come up with something to say to him."

I laughed and leaned over the bed to kiss her.

"I'm not sure how you do, either, you know. Thank you for being the best mom -"

I kissed her.

"- and the best wife -"

I kissed her again.

"- that there ever was."

I kissed her a third time.

"Goodness, you should come shopping with me and Kurt sometime if a scrapbook can get you so riled up!"

I laughed.

"You know what this means, though, right?"

I had no idea.

"I softened him up... now you need to go talk to him."

I leaned up off of the bed.

"It's not good, is it?"

She shook her head.

"Not too good, no."

I stood up and walked to the door.

"You'll still be here when we're done?"

She smiled.

"Absolutely."

I walked out the door and made my way downstairs. He was in the kitchen with a magazine and a box of Cheez-Its.

I walked in there and sat down at the table next to him.

He just looked at me.

"Hey."

I leaned forward.

"Hey."

He blinked a few times and looked back down at his magazine.

I really was terrible at conversation starters. We'd been at this for almost a year, and I was still battling the same awkward things I'd battled the first day we were together.

But it was perfectly comfortable, really.

Him sitting there, crunching those Cheez-Its like they were from Ace Hardware, and me just sitting with him.

That was the difference.

"Kurt know you're eating those?"

He smiled and popped a few more in his mouth.

"If I say yes, will you let me _keep_ eating them?"

I laughed and held out my hand. He turned the box over and shook a few of them out for me to eat.

And as he did so, I saw it again.

That flash of black on his finger.

Those two lines that formed a point. Just a _V_ etched onto his skin.

"V, huh?"

He had no idea what I was talking about.

"What now?"

"Your hand... the tattoo?"

His face lit up in realization, and he looked down at his hand as if he was making sure that it was still there.

"Oh... right."

He waved his hand in the air.

"V."

He laughed, like he knew that I wanted him to elaborate but was trying to pretend that I didn't.

I sighed and crossed my arms.

"It's... a lot of things."

I smiled.

We were getting somewhere.

"Tell me one."

He still looked uncomfortable that I was so comfortable with him having the tattoo in the first place.

I knew that both of them were expecting me to be mad about it and that both of them had geared up to defend the decision.

But because I wasn't mad... Blaine had no idea how to handle all of it.

He never thought that I'd actually be interested in what it meant or why he'd gotten it in the first place, so he didn't prepare for that conversation.

He took a deep breath.

"V is the first initial of my mother's maiden name."

He looked at me, trying to determine how I felt about that.

I smiled and nodded, and he knew that he could continue telling me about it.

"It's also the first letter of my father's middle name."

And that part I didn't like.

I mean, it was fine. I got why that had occurred to him. I got why he'd done it, I guess.

I just didn't see why, of all the people in the world, he'd chosen the two who'd made all the wrong choices to honor in a tattoo that he had to look at every single day.

"But it's not just a V."

He took another deep breath.

"It's also... a five, you know. That was the number of years I knew that I was gay before I told anyone, the number of months it took me to know that I was in love with Kurt... and it was the fifth month of the year that I walked into your shop."

He blushed slightly and grabbed a few more Cheez-Its to divert the attention.

I smiled.

"You put a lot of thought into that."

He nodded through the crunching.

"Well... there's no taking it back, you know."

I nodded.

"I just wanted to... you know, sort of be reminded to not forget the past but that... that the present and the future will always be more important."

He nodded a few times and furrowed his brow, like he knew that was true but still wasn't necessarily expecting me to believe it.

I liked that a lot, though.

It was really something that all of us needed to learn.

Having Kurt as a little boy will always hold some of my favorite memories, but I'll always want him to grow up and explore and be himself too.

I always thought that I was supposed to be the one teaching him, but here he was teaching me.

If he could tattoo it to his finger, I could remember it too.

I could remember that sometimes you've got to let go of the things you once knew, the things that were always so special and so sacred, to give into something even bigger.

To let your kids be your kids forever, but to let them grow up and shine.

It was always about accepting that.

And even though I wasn't _quite_ ready to do that just yet, it was one more step in the right direction.

"You're a good kid, you know that?"

He laughed.

"Yeah... I think I heard a rumor about that once."

I grabbed a few more of his Cheez-Its and stacked them up in my hand.

"Tell me something."

He nodded and sat up straighter in his seat.

"That stunt you pulled the other day... with the movie plot memory?"

His face fell.

"You don't have to tell me why you did it. I just wanted to make sure you were alright... and I wanted to see if maybe there _was _something you might like to share."

He sighed and considered it very carefully.

I loved him, and he knew that he could say anything that he wanted to say without any kind of repercussions. We were completely comfortable with one another and had an immense knowledge of how our relationship worked.

He was my kid, and I was there to do or be whatever I could to keep him happy and healthy and himself.

It was on his plate this time.

"Would you believe that I was a deformed bell ringer in fifteenth century Paris?"

I laughed, and he leaned forward.

"How about that I died in icy waters after an unsinkable ship crashed into an iceberg?"

He smiled and shook his head.

"There's just... there's just nothing to tell."

He shrugged.

"I feel like I've tried so hard to block all of it out that I genuinely just can't remember any of it."

He leaned back in his chair, and I knew better than to interrupt him.

"There was a long string of nannies and a lot of orders. That's what I remember. It was... lonely. And every toe out of line was a battle."

He sighed.

"It was just one big, pathetic cry for attention, and... I don't know. It just isn't worth telling, because it's not worth thinking about."

He looked right at me, and even though my heart was breaking, I knew that he firmly believed every single thing that he'd just said.

He wasn't sad about it. He was accepting of it.

He'd realized that that was just the way it was, and that it would only be in vain to try or to want to think differently.

"Do you think that ten years from now, I'm going to be telling my kids about how my dad used to hit me?"

He leaned forward and grabbed some more Cheez-Its, like what he was saying was the most nonchalant thing in the entire world.

"Hell no. I'm going to be telling them about how you kept me from that."

He pointed at me and threw a few of the Cheez-Its into his mouth.

"I'm going to tell them about this, right now. Because that's what's important to me."

He smiled.

"This is the life I want to remember. Right here, because this is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

He shrugged.

"The past is... well, it's part of who you are, sure. But it's got nothing on the future. And I know I don't need it when I've got something so perfect right in front of me."

He popped another Cheez-It into his mouth.

"I have this family, right? That's all I need."

He was so genuine, and it was something it'd taken him a year to finally be comfortable with. He could say it so cooly, because he knew it was true.

From everything that we'd been through over the past year, he finally knew that he was a part of this family, and he finally knew that he was my son.

It was like the biggest milestone of them all had finally been crossed.

I couldn't believe that I wasn't screaming in victory yet.

I guess the only problem was that he'd only gotten this family on the brink of having to let it all go for an even bigger dream.

But it was my turn to talk, and from everything Carole had said... I really did know exactly what I wanted to say.

"You know, Blaine, I really -"

"FINN! This is incredible! Oh my - wait, _no_! Finn, put me down!"

And then there were two voices but only one set of feet clunking down the stairs.

Finn, with Kurt slung over his shoulder yet again, came into the kitchen, still clutching his letter from NYU.

"Honestly, I refuse to let you make a habit of this."

Blaine smiled.

"What's going on?"

"I got into -"

"_Finn got into NYU!_ Hooray!"

Finn pouted.

"Kurt, I wanted to tell him!"

"Well, that's what you get for carrying me around like a sack of potatoes!"

Blaine laughed, and Finn sighed and set him on his feet.

"I was just excited! And I like to pick people up when I'm excited!"

Kurt readjusted his outfit.

"Finn, this is incredible!"

Blaine stood up, and the two of them went in for a high five that turned into a handshake and then a hug.

It flowed perfectly, and it was like they'd rehearsed that.

Or like it was some kind of new teenage guy thing that was simply understood those days.

"God... the three of us at one school. What are they going to do with us?"

Blaine leaned in and wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist, who looked very surprised by the whole thing.

"That's a great question. As long as Finn keeps from picking up every person he sees when he's excited, I think we _might_ just be able to keep from being expelled. Well... at least for the first week or so."

Blaine laughed, and Finn reached in to grab Kurt again.

Kurt flinched violently, and Finn just patted him on the back.

"No promises."

Kurt rolled his eyes and smiled.

"We need to go celebrate!"

Finn's eyes shifted from side to side, like there was something in the room that was going to keep him from that celebration.

"Frozen yoghurt?"

Blaine laughed.

"Kurt, is this acceptable?"

Kurt sighed and looked to the table.

"How many Cheez-Its have you had? Your inorganic food intake cannot be -"

Blaine leaned in and kissed him again, and when he pulled away, Kurt couldn't help but laugh.

"Frozen yoghurt it is, then."

Finn cheered and grabbed his keys.

"I'm driving!"

Kurt's face fell in horror.

"No, you're not."

Finn shook his keys and laughed, slowly backing up to the door.

"I'm not too excited to drive! We'll be fine."

Kurt shot me a look, but I just shrugged my shoulders.

Finn ran out the door, and Kurt ran after him to keep him from actually starting that car.

Which left me alone in the kitchen with Blaine again.

He laughed and nodded a few times, still glued to his spot.

He looked at me.

"Thank you, Burt."

He started to walk toward the door, and I stood up.

"For what?"

He smiled.

"For what I know you were going to say."

I laughed.

"Kid, you're making this too easy."

He shook his head.

"Nope, you see, you've got that backwards."

He laughed and grabbed the door handle.

"Goodnight."

I raised a hand.

"Have fun."

He left, and I waited for the car to pull out of the driveway.

I smiled, and I let myself think about everything that had just happened.

Jesus, they were crazy. And I couldn't believe just how much craziness they'd been in not even a year.

I laughed to myself and started walking toward the stairs.

Until I started sprinting, of course, when I remembered who was still waiting for me.

And with a future like that, well... it was getting easier and easier to be happy that the children were growing up.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear what you thought of it if you get the chance!<p> 


	29. The Quiet

THANK YOU for all of the amazing, incredible, wonderful, fabulous, PERFECT reviews for the last chapter! I honestly cannot believe that this story hit 1,000 reviews. Never, ever in my wildest dreams did I think such a thing was possible. And when I got the e-mail saying that it had actually been done, I was a bit of a mess to say the least, haha. And it was even better because I was driving! So, all of the kind drivers around me got to enjoy a lovely range of emotions all from you guys being the best readers and reviewers there ever were. :)

Now, as you may already know, I have been saying over and over again that this story is only going to be thirty chapters long, meaning that this is, in fact, the second to last chapter. However, I got a little crazy the other day and wrote an epilogue. It's really very short (honestly, I'm fairly certain that my Author's Note that accompanies it will be longer, because I've already written that too... and it's pretty damn long - sorry!), but it will still be listed as chapter thirty-one. So, what I'm saying is that after this chapter, there will still be two more updates, not just one!

Until next time (graduation!)...

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>It was getting late.<p>

Carole and I were already in bed, and Blaine still wasn't home on a school night.

Carole always told me that I worried about them too much and that Blaine was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, no matter what time of the night it was.

But it was still twenty minutes after his curfew, and no one knew where he was.

Kurt had only said that he was _out_. Just out.

And every time I'd thought about calling him, Carole had told me to leave it alone.

She was right, and I knew that I was overreacting, but I still didn't like that feeling of not knowing. I didn't know where he was, I didn't know where he'd been, and I didn't know when he'd be home.

I was just watching the clock, trying to reason with myself that he was fine.

Just a kid out having fun on a school night with... some people, I'm sure.

People who weren't Kurt.

People who weren't Finn.

People that neither of us could identify.

But I kept my cool. Yeah, I was cool, and I was calm, and everything was fine.

The door slammed downstairs, and Carole just laughed.

"Look at that. What did I tell you?"

I sighed in relief.

"You were right."

We could both hear him slowly trying to creak up the stairs without waking anyone... or without alerting us to the fact that he hadn't been home this whole time.

We heard him walk in front of our room but freeze when he saw that there was still light flooding from underneath the door.

He knocked, and Carole just looked at me with a smile on her face.

"Come in!"

He peaked his head in the door and tried to survey our moods.

"Hi... sorry, did I keep you up?"

Carole just smiled and shook her head.

"No, sweetie. We were still up anyways."

He smiled and moved to leave, but there was no way he was getting out of there before I got a few answers.

"You're still late, though."

He took a full step into the room, still a little hesitant to really open himself up for a conversation.

"Sorry... traffic."

I laughed sarcastically.

"At this time of night?"

He pulled his arms in to hug himself, and I got a good look at just how exhausted he was. Whatever he'd been doing certainly wasn't _fun _or in any way something he actually _wanted_ to be doing.

"I just needed to clear my head for a bit."

I furrowed my brow.

He wasn't okay, and it wasn't something he had felt like he could talk to Kurt about.

He'd hidden it from everyone, and neither of us liked it.

"Something going on?"

He looked up at both of us, trying to figure out if the something that definitely _was_ going was something he wanted to tell us about.

He sighed and walked over to us.

He climbed over the side and sat at the end of the bed with his legs crossed and his shoulders slumped.

"Yeah, something's going on."

Carole just smiled sweetly.

"We're listening."

He sighed and started picking at his fingernail.

"I'm singing lead at nationals."

I looked to Carole, who had the same expression on her face as I did.

Apparently, we were the only ones who thought that getting to sing lead at nationals was actually a _good_ thing.

But he looked mortified, like the world was going to end the moment he actually went through with it.

"Honey, I'm sorry, but... is that supposed to be a _bad_ thing?"

He looked up at us like he couldn't understand how we could possibly be so clueless.

"I'm singing with _Rachel_."

He shook his head and rubbed his temple.

"And _Kurt_ is going to... he's going to be _livid_. He's going to be so upset. God, and so is Finn!"

He groaned and jumped off the bed.

"I need to call Rachel, tell her I'm not -"

"Hey, wait, come here. Sit back down."

He sighed but did as he was told and rested his chin on his hand.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to handle this."

I looked to Carole, who didn't know how he was supposed to handle it either, and crossed my arms.

"How long have you been driving around?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, clearly not expecting me to even know that he drove aimlessly when he got upset about something and didn't want to tell anyone about it.

"You know about that?"

I laughed.

"Kid, I'm the one who does all the work on your car."

I also kept track of all of their miles, but I didn't tell him that.

He sighed again, looking terrified of how I was going to react to what he was about to say.

"I might have... I might have driven to Westerville and back?"

He winced, waiting for me to explode.

It was something we'd talked about so many times. It was a subject that I honestly never thought we'd have to cover again, because it was just so _done._

He knew better than that. He knew that not telling us that he was going to Westerville was simply unacceptable.

I was more disappointed than angry.

"Blaine, you can't -"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I should have told you where I was, I know that. I was just... completely freaking out, and I just started driving and the next thing I knew... I was in Westerville. It wasn't even a conscious decision, and I didn't even get out of the car, honestly! I just sat in the Dalton parking lot for ten minutes blasting 'Teenage Dream' and turned around and came home."

I knew that every word of that was true.

He wouldn't come in here and lie to our faces. That wasn't him, and it wasn't something he'd do.

But he'd said something very important. In the year that he'd lived in my house, I'd never really heard him refer to it as "home." He'd driven from Westerville to _home_. Not from home to _Lima_, but the other way around.

I knew that Blaine had never purposefully avoided the fact that Lima had become his home but rather I had just never heard him say it so cooly, like it was a part of who he was and always had been.

I still wasn't happy that he'd literally been in the car for more than four hours trying to come to a decision on something that was so far over my head that I honestly couldn't even understand why he'd needed to go through all of that in the first place.

But he was freaking out, and he needed us to just give him some kind of answer.

"You want this, right? You wanna sing this thing?"

He didn't get what I was trying to say.

"Well, yeah, but -"

"Then don't give it up. Schuester picked you for this?"

He nodded.

"Then you should do it. That's a great accomplishment, and you've earned it."

Carole leaned forward and grabbed his knee to give her own two cents.

"And you should tell Kurt and Finn. They'll be happy for you."

Blaine smiled sweetly at her but shook his head.

"I'm not so sure about that."

He sighed.

"But I'll give it a try."

At least he did _try_. But he ended up being right.

Kurt and Finn were the furthest thing from being happy for him, and our house was immediately divided after they found out.

Carole and I never liked to get involved in things like that.

It was their issue to work out, and neither of us wanted to get in the middle of anything. Because once we got into it, somebody had to take somebody's side, and somehow it only made everything worse.

But eventually... the passive aggressiveness as well as the blatant hostility got to be too much for everyone in the house.

It was constant, too.

There was a lot of eye rolling and overly obvious sighs.

And Kurt was barely speaking to Blaine, and Blaine was spending more time with Rachel than Finn was, and there were plenty of little comments about who's put the most _time_ into New Directions.

But I guess it all broke down with Blaine finally decided to strike back.

They were all in the living room when I came home from work to an earful of screaming.

"Can we all just go ahead and _say_ what this really is? You're _jealous_. Both of you are just jealous that I got this, and you didn't! But, you know what? I _did_ get this. Mr. Schue picked _me_, not either of you!"

They were all still sitting, just yelling at each other.

It was like, even though they were screaming, they didn't really believe what they were saying and they didn't have the confidence to get in each other's faces and say it.

"He picked you to _mix things up_, Blaine. Both Finn and I have just as much talent and star quality as you. Plus, we have put three solid years into this glee club, and I don't think -"

"Since when does who was there first matter with anything? If you went by that logic, _Tina_ would have every solo too!"

Finn huffed.

"What Kurt is trying to say is -"

"I know what he's trying to say, Finn!"

No one had even noticed that I was there yet.

This whole thing had been going on for over a week, and Carole and I were exhausted with it. I knew that this was the time that I just had to do _something_.

"Hey!"

No one moved.

"Jesus, Blaine, you don't need to get -"

"_Hey!_"

They all turned around and stared at me like they couldn't believe I would interrupt such an important argument.

I was angry and tired and fed up with them letting this stupid show choir thing get in the way of everything else in their lives.

I walked over to them.

"Okay, guys... you know what? You're done. You're _all_ done."

Kurt crossed his arms.

"The next person who even _mentions_ this competition can stay in Ohio for the whole thing, you got that?"

I started to walk toward the kitchen, but Kurt called after me.

"Dad, you can't -"

I whipped back around.

"You think I can't?"

I smiled.

"Kurt, I've got all of your plane tickets upstairs, and I can do whatever I want with them."

Was I ever going to keep them from that show choir competition? Of course not. They would literally never speak to me again for the rest of their lives.

But it was that same reason, the massive importance of the entire thing, that would keep them from even risking it.

And I knew that they could accept that.

"Now, all three of you have been acting like lunatics over this whole thing. You've only got a little bit of time left in high school. Don't mess it up with this crap."

They looked back and forth at one another, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

Finn took a deep breath and raised his hand.

We all just stared at him, waiting for him to get on with whatever reason he still holding his hand in the air. But he just stared right back at me.

"Something you'd like to say, Finn?"

He lowered his hand.

"Well, it's more of a question than a statement."

I smiled.

"Alright, ask away."

He furrowed his brow in concentration.

"Could... could Rachel come over for Friday night dinner tomorrow?"

None of us really knew how to react to that.

It was so out of the blue, but he was so determined.

"You want Rachel to come over for Friday night dinner?"

He nodded and searched for the right words to validate the whole thing.

"Well, yeah. I do. She's never come to one before, and I thought... I thought it might be a nice gesture."

Finn smiled, but Kurt was far from convinced.

"_You_ thought it would be a nice gesture or _she_ did?"

Finn shot Kurt a look, and even though she probably _was_ the one who'd put him up to it, we were not starting _that_ conversation.

"_Kurt_."

He leaned back in his seat and folded his hands, keeping his lips shut tight.

"You want her to come, Finn?"

He nodded.

"Yeah... alright. Tell her that's fine. 7:30."

His face lit up.

"Thanks."

He ran upstairs to go tell Rachel, and Kurt and Blaine just looked at each other, wondering what on Earth we'd all just gotten ourselves into.

It really did turn out to be something much more similar to what Kurt and Blaine were thinking than what Finn was thinking.

She showed up two hours early, before Kurt had even gotten home from shopping with Mercedes, with a tray of lemon squares her dads had man and a huge smile.

She was a nice girl, and everyone really did like her.

She was one of Kurt and Blaine's best friends, and she was Finn's girlfriend.

She was a part of all of our lives, and it was only right that she come over for Friday night dinner.

It was just that she could be a little... _overbearing_.

She must have asked Carole if she needed any help in the kitchen forty or fifty times, and when she wasn't doing that, she was just talking.

That girl really could talk.

And if you got her started, she'd never stop.

Finn would watch her with a goofy look on his face, like he was just _absorbing_ all of the information rather than actually listening to it.

And Blaine would look at me like, "I'm so sorry you have to go through this, but you'll get used to it. She's really not normally this bad. I think she's just really nervous."

But I couldn't even keep up with what she was saying, and it didn't help that I didn't even understand half of the things she was talking about.

She just talked and talked, and she never got tired of it.

And we all tried to smile and go along with it, but it was difficult when she was the only one who was actually listening.

Eventually, though, she asked where the bathroom was, and when Finn offered to show her, the two of them escaped upstairs.

We were a bit relieved to have the silence, actually.

She really did mean well... she was just a little bit over my head.

I looked to Blaine, who was tapping his foot and staring at me.

"You know what they're doing, right?"

I sighed.

"Yeah, Blaine. I got that much."

He kept on tapping that foot.

"Can I go up there?"

I laughed, and I tried to remember the number of times I'd let or _forced_ Finn to interrupt him and Kurt when they were alone together.

"Give it a little bit longer."

He sighed and leaned back in his seat, trying to remain patient.

"Fine, go on. Enjoy yourself."

He laughed and leapt up off the couch and up the stairs.

And we were all so thankful that Kurt came home when he did, because, somehow, he actually made Rachel significantly more tolerable.

He knew how to talk to her like none of us did. He calmed her down and helped her realize that she was only making things crazier for herself by being nervous about making a good impression.

And she helped _them_ realize that all of their issues over who got what song or whatever for nationals were so pointless.

Her insanity was what really fixed it.

Because all she really wanted to talk about at dinner that night was nationals, the one subject that all three of them had pretty much been _forbidden _to mention, and I guess it just kind of cleared the air.

The last person they wanted to turn into over all of this stuff was actually openly yapping about it right in their faces.

They wanted to win, and they all wanted to be stars, but they didn't want to obsess over it like Rachel did, and they didn't want to lose any more time.

So, when they left for nationals the next day, Carole and I were left in the house alone.

It was weird.

We'd never been alone in the house for that long without the boys.

It almost felt like a trial run for what our lives were going to look like in a few months.

It was the night of the competition when I brought mine and Carole's dinners into our bedroom. We hadn't heard from the boys yet, and we were both starting to get anxious to just know anything at all.

I climbed into bed next to her, and we were so comfy. It was cozy and perfect, and our dinner smelled delicious.

"Look at us... eating dinner in bed, no one here to interrupt us. You'd think it was our parents who were out of town!"

She laughed.

"You're right, you know. I think I'm going to be able to get used to this. No music playing, no video games. Just you and me and me and you."

I kissed her.

"I _do _like the sound of that!"

We pulled away and started on our food.

I wanted every night to feel like this once they were gone.

Just right and gorgeous.

But there was still that nagging question.

"I wonder what they're doing right now."

I laughed.

It was like she could read my mind.

"Well, with any luck, they're winning that competition."

She sighed.

"God, I hope so. Last year was so tragic."

I shook my head.

"No, I don't think any of us could handle a repeat of that."

I genuinely could not imagine what our house would look like if they lost, especially if one of them was actually at fault.

It'd be brother against brother and boyfriend against boyfriend against girlfriend.

I didn't want to think about it, because it actually made me a little nauseous.

Nope, we couldn't have that.

I just wasn't going to let it happen.

Which is exactly why we really needed that phone call.

"Well, you know... this time it _would _be Rachel and Blaine who got themselves caught up in some kind of kiss of the century, so I think it's pretty safe to say that that's not going to happen."

I laughed.

She was right. We had nothing to worry about there.

"I'd take them losing this thing over going back down that road any day."

We laughed, and I grabbed her hand.

"I love you."

She smiled.

"I love you too."

But there was something she wasn't saying.

"... but I do miss them."

I laughed, and we both felt a little bit more relieved that that was finally out in the open.

We were already missing them, and they were going to be home in a few days!

Neither of us wanted to admit it, but I'm glad that she did. We could always enjoy each other more when we were both feeling the same things.

"Thank God you said that. I do too."

She laughed.

"I don't know what we've got ourselves so worked up over, though. They're only gone for a few days. Soon, they're going to be gone forever!"

Forever.

I hated that word. And it refused to let it be the right one to use.

"Well... not _forever_. There's still Thanksgiving and Christmas and birthdays, and... forcing them to come home against their wills for every holiday we can think of."

She laughed.

"How about Black History month?"

"Oh, they will _be here_ for Black History month."

I looked into her eyes, and I knew that we were going to be just fine.

Because as long as she was there, I could laugh every single day, and we could miss them together. As long as I was an _us_, there was still so much to have.

My phone rang, and I quickly picked it up and showed her the caller I.D.

"Speak of the devil."

I answered it, and all I could here was noise.

So much noise and screaming and complete insanity that I truly had no idea what was happening.

Had they won? Had they lost? How was I supposed to know what was going on if all I could hear was screaming?

Carole tugged at my arm.

"What's he saying?"

I pulled the phone away from my ear and put it on speaker phone.

She looked even more confused than I did.

We just waited for something, anything that might give us some kind of indication as to what was going on.

Until we heard it, just loud and high enough to overcome all of the other noises.

"_WE DID IT!"_

Carole and I cheered along with Kurt, and my heart lifted for them.

They were coming home happy and victorious. It was the best news in the world.

"_Dad? Can you hear me?"_

I laughed.

"Yeah, sort of, buddy... congratulations!"

"_Hey, give me the phone!"_

"_No, Blaine, just let me -"_

"_Kurt, who are you talking to?"_

"_Our parents, Finn."_

"_Oh, let me -"_

"_No, you can -"_

"Kurt!"

"_Yes?"_

"Call us back later when we can actually hear you, alright?"

Someone else screamed at the top of his lungs in the background, and Kurt just laughed into the phone and promised to call us again later.

I hung up, and Carole and I were both exhausted just from hearing all of that.

"Wow... goodness, how do they have so much energy?"

I laughed.

"I wish I knew."

She leaned her head on my shoulder.

"I can honestly say, though. I am so glad that we're not there for that."

There was no truer statement.

"No, so am I."

I kissed her.

"This is much too nice to want to be anywhere else."

She smiled.

"I think I'm really going to like this quiet, you know."

I laughed.

"Me too."

And the next few days without those boys in the house really were nice.

Carole and I just enjoyed our time together and basked in the beautiful silence.

And we waited outside the airport terminal with all of the other parents for them to come through.

But that year, we got to be happy, because they were happy.

That year, I wasn't standing there awkwardly with a shaking Blaine, waiting for Kurt to come out and put his boyfriend, this kid I barely knew but had just helped move out of his father's house and into my own, at ease.

That year, I was waiting with my beautiful wife for my three smiling sons.

A lot had changed in a year, and I loved every minute of it.

When we finally saw them, Kurt and Blaine were hand in hand without a single care in the world.

Finn was walking with Puck, though... without Rachel, who was even further back, calmly talking to Quinn.

When Kurt and Blaine got to us, Carole immediately wrapped her arms around both of them, who were a little taken off guard.

"Congratulations, guys!"

She pulled away but held onto their arms to get a really good look at both of them.

They just smiled at her, and she went in for another hug.

Finn showed up, rolling his eyes at the lovefest that was happening in front of him.

I clapped him on the shoulder.

"Congrats, Finn."

He laughed and nodded.

Carole finally let go of the two of them and gave Finn his own hug.

We all started walking to the luggage carousel, Carole, Blaine, and Kurt in the lead, while Finn and I hung behind.

Blaine and Kurt were talking her ears off about every single thing that had happened since they'd seen her last, but Finn didn't really feel up to talking about much of anything.

He was actually pretty sullen for someone who'd just had his dreams come true.

And I knew it must have had something to do with Rachel.

But I needed to ease into it.

"How was the flight?"

"Oh, not too bad. I think we were far too happy for anyone to mind an airplane too much."

He gave me a pained smile.

"Good to hear."

I couldn't just let him sulk the whole way home. And from the way he was holding it all in, I didn't even think Kurt and Blaine had any idea what was going on either.

"What's got you down?"

He popped his head back to me, his face set in feigned surprise.

"Nothing. I'm all good. We won, remember?"

He laughed.

"All good, huh? And Rachel? Is she all good too?"

He sighed and smiled.

He knew there was no such thing as me not asking about it, and he knew that _I _knew what was getting him down the moment he didn't walk out that gate with a pretty girl on his arm.

"I don't know."

I waited.

"She... she told me something this weekend."

_Something_ was so rarely a good thing in our house.

"And I don't really think that I... I have no idea how to handle this."

He looked at me in defeat, and I started to panic a little bit.

That look on his face and _Rachel_... it could only mean one thing.

She was pregnant.

She was having his baby, and he'd gotten another girl pregnant. It made so much sense. That's why she was talking to Quinn. Of course they were best friends now, they'd both been pregnant, and here was Finn, an almost second time dad. He was going to have to go through this whole thing again, and who was going to pay for that? Who was going to raise this child? What about college? What about NYU and all of their dreams? When had this happened? _In my house?_ Wasn't Blaine supposed to stop that from happening? No, this can't be -

"She used her dads' influence to make sure I got into NYU."

I sighed in relief.

That felt like the best news I'd ever heard in my life.

"Apparently they're alums, and they know people on the board of admissions, and so she put in a good word for me or something. I'm not sure what she did, but..."

He sighed.

I was still trying to get over my original fear so that I could sympathize with him here.

"I just really wanted to get in on my own, you know?"

NYU was one of the most important things in the world to him.

He'd obsessed over those letters for days.

It was an accomplishment and a reward for everything he'd achieved... but Rachel had turned it into a handout, at least that's how he saw it in his mind.

"And she didn't tell me about it until now, because she thought I'd be too excited about winning nationals to care."

If there was one thing I'd learned that year, it was that keeping secrets from the person you're dating is simply impossible. And really just stupid.

"Which, I mean... I kind of am. I really don't even know how I'm supposed to feel right now. I'm going to NYU, I just won nationals, I've got a beautiful girlfriend... where's the bad?"

It was an impressive list, and he had a point.

"But I can't get over this feeling that... I don't know what it is. That she manipulated me? That she lied to me? But am I supposed to be _angry_ at her?"

I was just going to keep letting him ramble.

"I don't think so. Nope, I don't think I'm angry. That's not the right word. So, what am I? I don't know, and that's the problem. She was just trying to do something nice, but she still didn't -"

"Finn?"

He took his first real breath in that whole conversation.

I hadn't said a word yet, and he was practically answering his own questions.

"Yeah?"

I sighed.

"I think you're getting yourself all worked up over something that doesn't matter."

His face fell.

"You would have gotten into NYU without Rachel. Look at yourself, Finn. You just won nationals!"

He laughed.

"I don't want you to ruin this. You deserve to love this moment without having anything else on your mind. Enjoy right now, Finn."

He smiled and nodded.

"And if you _can't_ enjoy right now without thinking about that, well..."

He slowly turned his head back to me, and I gave him a sad smile.

"I think that might just be your answer, kid."

He sighed and nodded, trying to figure out if he really did have his answer already.

"No, you know what?"

I smiled.

"I'm gonna have fun tonight. This is gonna be awesome, and nothing gets in the way of awesome."

I just laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

These things were getting easier.

I couldn't believe that a year ago I was struggling so much to figure these guys out, to come up with the right words to say when they got themselves into these situations.

And even more than that, they weren't even comfortable talking to me about it.

It used to take so much just to get them to talk to me, and here was Finn, ready to give me every detail just at the mention of one name.

I loved that.

I loved that I had them, and I loved that they would talk to me about the crazy things that were going on in their lives and through their heads.

I wasn't just their dad. I got to be a confidante too.

And we all needed that.

And that night, when the three of them went out to Puck's to celebrate the win, Finn really did look happy.

Nothing ever got to get in the way of Finn being Finn.

Or Blaine being Blaine.

Or Kurt being Kurt.

Which is why I also loved when he came in the front door hours before I was expecting him.

"Solo tonight, Kurt?"

I was in my chair in the living room with the newspaper, and he was happy to see me.

"Well, Finn and Blaine just decided to stay at Puck's for the night, and I was pretty exhausted after this whole weekend."

"I can imagine."

He walked over to me and sat on the couch.

I loved my son, and I loved that he sat down with me that night.

He just smiled at me.

"It was great, Dad. _He _was great."

I laughed.

"Blaine?"

He nodded, and his smile only grew bigger at the memory.

"He really... I don't know. He's just so damn talented!"

We both laughed.

"He and Rachel killed it, they really did. We all knew that they would, but... well, yes, _sure_. The green eyed monster might have taken over for a bit, but I was wrong."

That was something I very rarely ever heard Kurt admit.

I soaked it in.

"And they were great."

I smiled at him, and I wanted him to sit there forever.

I wanted to talk to my son about how great everything was and all of the love he was a part of for the rest of his life.

"I'm really glad to hear that, Kurt."

He smiled, and I was so happy that he leaned forward in his seat rather than standing up.

"This year has been so perfect, you know."

His eyes widened, and he rested his head on his hand.

"Goodness, it's so weird to say that. Can you believe it's been a whole year already?"

I just shook my head.

"Wow... but, it really _has_."

He looked right at me, smiling like I hadn't seen him smile since he was a little boy.

"It has for him and for me and for all of us. I haven't felt this happy in..."

He held his breath.

"Well, I don't think I've ever been this happy, honestly."

He let the breath out into a laugh, and I was doing everything I could not to break down into tears of joy right then and there.

My son was happy.

This was a kid who I'm pretty sure I didn't see smile one time from the day he became a teenager to the day he met Blaine.

And here he was, looking me right in the eyes and telling me that he was happy.

It was such a simple thing to say, but it meant so much to me.

All I ever wanted was for him to be happy, and with all of the crap that the world had put him through, he'd come out on top.

He'd made it through, and my son was _happy_.

"I know I don't say this enough, but I just wanted to thank you, Dad."

I could already feel the lump forming in my throat.

"You know, there wouldn't even be a Kurt and Blaine if it wasn't for you."

His eyes were welling up with tears too, but his smile was still so big.

"Kurt, that's not -"

"No, it is. Really, it is."

He wiped his eyes.

"You... you helped him when no one else could."

He laughed.

"You kept us together, and you didn't..."

He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from really crying.

"You never saw anything _wrong_ with us being together and being ourselves when it felt like everyone else did."

He laughed again, and I was trying to keep my own crying from getting out of hand.

"It's the one thing that I think so many people sort of expect parents to do for their kids, you know? But so many of them just... don't."

He nodded.

"Look at what you've done here, Dad!"

I laughed.

"Could you ever have imagined that your life would look like this?"

I couldn't, and I knew that he couldn't either.

"And in one year! How have they not given you a medal yet?"

We both laughed.

"Plus, you know... if Blaine wasn't a part of this family, well... we wouldn't have won nationals! So, _you_... you basically won us nationals! I need to alert Rachel!"

He was such a funny kid, and I loved when I actually got to see his sense of humor shine through.

I was so used to Kurt being sad or upset about something that I sometimes forgot how great he was at making me laugh.

"But, seriously, Dad. Just... thank you."

I sighed.

"You don't need to say anything else, Kurt. You know that I love you, right?"

He nodded, and I leaned forward in my chair.

"Then I can make you a promise right now that I will always make sure that there's a Kurt and Blaine, for as long as you want there to be one. You're too special to lose that."

He smiled and shook his head.

"Well, I think you're going to be keeping that promise for a very long time, Dad."

I nodded and suddenly wanted to make sure that my Tony Orlando tuxedo was still good to go.

"Then it'll be kept."

He smiled, and I stood up to give him a hug.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Kurt."

He pulled away, and I sat back down in my chair as I watched him make his way back up the stairs.

The silence was back. And I was just sitting in the living room in my chair, listening to every facet of it.

My son was happy. All of my sons were happy.

And that was all I ever needed, really.

Because as long as they were happy... I was happy too.

Even in the quiet.

* * *

><p>Thanks so much for reading, and I'd love to hear what you thought of it if you get the chance! :)<p> 


	30. The End

Wow. Honestly, that's the only word I can come up with right now. There are so many things that still need to be said. So many things that _will_ be said in the Author's Note of the epilogue. But, seriously. I would be completely lying to you if I told you I didn't cry over finishing this chapter today. I was sitting in the library, writing the very last words... and those tears were flowing so hard, I sort of wish the Hoover dam had been around to catch them. (You've been warned!)

Yes, this is the last _real_ chapter.

Yes, this is the end.

And no, I'm not ready either.

But I can promise you right now that after the epilogue is posted on August 22nd, I am _not_ done writing forever. Be looking for a series of one-shots that are bits and pieces of this story from the boys' perspective somewhere around mid-December. I know for a fact that I want to write their stories, and I can tell you right now that I am so excited to see this story from a whole new light. Lots of Klaine, brotherly Flaine (is that the right word?), and more Carole! So, if you're interested in this story, put me on your Author's Alert or just be looking out for it right around the time we hit the next Glee hiatus!

Also, I have just moved in at school, and things have been pretty hectic, and the internet is also fairly hit or miss, so if I haven't gotten to your review yet, I promise that I will as soon as I can!

Here we go...

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Blaine?"<p>

I knocked on his open door to tell him that dinner was almost ready, expecting him to just be sitting in his room, doing nothing particularly interesting. But instead, I found him in the middle of what looked like some kind of tornado disaster zone.

"Oh, hey!"

Everything he owned had been pulled into the middle of the floor, and he was sorting through all of it, moving things from one side of the room to the other, throwing things in garbage bags...

It was a week until graduation, and I had no idea what he thought he was doing.

"Whatcha got here?"

He laughed.

"Oh, yeah... I was just going through some of my stuff, trying to get rid of everything I can't take before the big move."

He was throwing away real stuff. Stuff that he actually liked and used and spent his own money on.

"Well, what are you doing that for?"

I crossed my arms and leaned up against the door frame.

He looked at me like what he was doing was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I mean, if I'm not taking it to New York, I don't have any use for it."

I just laughed. That _had_ to be a joke.

"And what about when you come home?"

He dropped the trash bag that was in his hand and gave me his full attention for the first time since we'd started the conversation.

"I... I didn't really think about that."

Clearly.

"You can't get rid of us that easily, you know."

He smiled to himself, and I remembered that that was never his intention. He saw it the other way around.

"I just figured you'd want to move this stuff out of here. Turn this room into something else."

His whole mindset was so off, and all I could think to do is laugh.

"Kid, you're just going to college. This is still your room, and this is still your home. Where are you going to sleep when you come home for breaks if we turn this room into something else?"

He still looked puzzled.

"Oh... I guess I didn't really think about that either."

It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to come home from time to time. It was simply that he thought that going to college meant cutting off all ties.

He was seeing this as an end rather than a beginning.

"You know, no one's getting kicked out here."

He looked up at me.

"And as great as New York is... well, this is still your home whenever you need it, alright?"

He sighed in relief and nodded.

"Alright."

He looked around the room, at everything he thought he was going to have to get rid of, and laughed.

"So, I guess I can put Kurt's hats back up then, huh?"

He pulled those hats out of a pile and showed them to me.

I remembered the day I'd sat him and Kurt down and told them about the living arrangements. Blaine had insisted on displaying Kurt's hats proudly... and this was the first time he'd ever taken them down.

"You've really kept those hats out after all this time?"

He laughed.

"Well, yeah... I like them. They're sort of the ultimate Kurt reminder, you know?"

I looked at them carefully.

The red one with the feathers, the gold one that shines when you turn it a certain way...

"I can see that."

He neatly placed them back on his dresser and smiled.

"Get your stuff back where it belongs. Dinner's in ten minutes."

But he wasn't even listening to me, just staring at those hats.

That room that was his and no one else's and would be for as long as he wanted it to.

I knew that Blaine knew just how much of a part of our family he was. And as much as I hated that he had ever felt like his room was suddenly going to be unimportant once he left for college, I loved being able to tell him that it wasn't.

I loved being his dad, and I loved him.

But with all the good feelings going around before graduation, we were still faced with some bad ones as well.

Finn was still in his Rachel funk.

And I still had a very important thing that I'd promised to give him far too long ago.

I was waiting for the perfect time, and graduation couldn't have fit the bill more perfectly.

So, four days before graduation, there I was, bucking up my own courage to just go into his room and do what I'd been waiting to do for so long.

"Hey, kid."

He was sitting on the floor, only mildly focused on the Xbox game he was playing.

"Hey."

I cleared my throat, remembering just how terrible I really was and always would be with conversation starters.

Especially when he hadn't even looked up at me yet.

"Say, you got a pen on you?"

He looked around the room, which I had just noticed was absolutely filthy again, and finally looked up at me.

This was supposed to be big and awesome, but it was also Finn we were talking about.

He was always going to be his crazy, teenage self.

He laughed and nodded his head toward his desk.

"Uh, yeah... yeah, sure. Help yourself."

I grabbed a pen and just stood there. And he just kept on playing his game.

"Say, Finn?"

"Yep?"

I held the papers out.

"You mind putting your John Hancock on this?"

He pulled away from me in terrified confusion, and I realized how stupid of thing that was for me to say to Finn, who would really only hear the last syllable of that name.

"Your _signature_, Finn. Just sign it?"

He relaxed and grabbed the papers from me without really looking at them.

"Oh... yeah, I can do that. But wha -"

He read the heading.

"Wow."

He covered his mouth with his hand, but his eyes said it all.

He let them well up with tears, and he let himself have that one thing that he'd always wanted, that one thing that every kid deserves.

He forgot to breathe, he was so overwhelmed.

"Yeah," he laughed. "Yeah... I think I can do that."

I handed him the pen, and he wiped his eyes.

He held the paper away from his face and just stared at it, daring it to tell him that it wasn't real, that it wasn't actually happening, that he wasn't actually legally my son.

"So... that's it, then?"

He looked up at me for the first time since I'd handed him the papers.

He was almost impressed with himself.

Here he was, this big kid with not just one parent anymore but _two _according to the state of Ohio, and he couldn't stop smiling about it.

"Yep, that's it."

He handed the papers back to me, and I returned the pen to its proper place.

He was still just sitting there, smiling like he really couldn't believe what had just happened.

Finn was just that kind of guy.

He could hold all of his emotions in, and he could feel every single thing in the world all at once.

He was so much more than met the eye, and I loved that I knew that.

I loved that with a few signatures, a stamp, and an envelope, this kid was going to be my son.

"You good, Finn?"

He just looked up at me for a few seconds without saying a word.

Then he pulled himself up off the floor, and the next thing I knew, he'd wrapped his arms around me as tight as he could.

I laughed and patted him on the back a few times, just letting him have the moment.

And when he pulled away, I smiled to see that he still had that look on his face.

It was such an interesting feeling.

There was no uncertainty, just two guys who were father and son now, who had been for a long time before anyone signed a piece of paper.

Finn knew how to make things easy for me.

He didn't have to put it into words. He just had to give me a hug, and I just had to hug him back for him to know that he was golden, that everything was going to be great.

His phone buzzed.

He glanced at it but let it be.

"You gonna get that?"

He looked up at me like he was going to say something profound but just shook his head.

"Nah, I don't think so."

I sighed.

_Rachel._

"Still working that out?"

That's what being a dad meant. Letting him get this stuff out, letting him transition from a great moment between the two of us to his relationship with his girlfriend.

Keeping his world turning.

"I love her, you know. I really do."

He sighed and plopped down on his bed.

"I just don't think we're right for each other."

He looked right at me, and I could finally see just how smart that kid really was.

"Maybe we are right now, but in the long run... we're no you and mom. We're no Kurt and Blaine."

He shrugged.

"We just want totally different things. She wants to be a star, and I wanna be... well, I guess I don't really know what I want to be."

"Finn."

"Yeah?"

I laughed.

"No, I meant... you wanna be _you_."

He smiled.

"Right."

He knew what he wanted. He just needed to say it all out loud to have the courage to actually do it.

"Do what you've got to do with Rachel. Let it play out the way you want it to... but answer her text message."

He nodded and scooped up his phone, and I left the room to give him his space to deal with that on his own.

Love was always a tricky subject for him.

It was for all of those boys. Especially love in high school. It was perfect and warm and familiar... but there were always obstacles.

And Kurt and Blaine had always had one big obstacle.

One who had always stood in their way, even from the very first day they met.

One who, now that the year was finally coming to a close, I thought might just come to a close as well.

But when I got a phone call at work two days before graduation... well, I really should have known better.

"This has to be a joke. Schuester, are you messing with me right now?"

But he wasn't, of course.

I hadn't really spoken to the man in awhile, and I was happy for that.

The last thing anyone wants is to talk to a their kids' teacher, mainly because with Schuester, it had always meant that something violent had occurred.

"Jesus Christ, seriously?"

And this time was no different.

"Yeah, okay. I'm on my way."

And when I got to the school, the whole gang was already assembled in Mr. Schuester's office.

Along with Dave Karofsky and his father.

Finn and Blaine weren't looking too great, and Kurt was just angry. He was holding it all in, every drop of rage that was building up in his chest, as he tried his hardest to keep himself calm.

I still had no idea what was going on, and from the looks of it, neither did Paul Karofsky.

We all sat in silence as Will told Paul and I the entire story.

Kurt had started it.

He was tired of all of it. Of trying so hard to help this guy who was constantly changing his mind, of giving part of himself and his relationship with Blaine to someone who hadn't given any of it back. Of _everything_.

Karofsky had shoved Blaine in the hallway, and Kurt... Kurt just finally broke.

He finally started to say all of the things he'd needed to say to that guy who'd wasted every opportunity he'd been given.

But Kurt knew what it felt like to be outed at that school, and he didn't let himself get carried away.

Especially when Finn intervened.

And once it was three against one, three guys who'd been so angry for so long against one who'd messed with their lives and screwed them over so many times... it got out of hand.

I certainly don't think it was ever Kurt's _intention _for anyone to actually get hurt, but it turned out to be Blaine's. And it really turned out to be Finn's.

And from the array of cut lips and bruised knuckles and a pretty solid gash on Blaine's eyebrow... this was a big deal.

A much bigger deal than Kurt had ever intended.

"I was just trying to talk to him. I admit that it wasn't a civil conversation, but then Finn and Blaine..."

Kurt looked to the two of them, who could not believe that he was about to pin this whole thing on them.

"Fine, yes. We might have _all_ acted like lunatics."

Blaine sighed.

"It's the end of the year, and this was his last chance to hurt you. Finn and I were already on our guards, and it got out of control."

Blaine pulled the rag away from his brow to see if it had stopped bleeding but put it right back in disappointment.

"It was more like your last chance to hurt _me_ for everything I've done."

It was the first time I'd heard anything from Karofsky's side of the story the whole year.

Blaine looked like fire was about to shoot from his eyes.

"Sure, that's a fair assessment."

Karofsky looked just as defeated as the three of them.

He wanted this to be done with just as much as they did. It was time to move on, to be a new person, to live a different kind of life from all the crap he'd put them through in high school.

"Look, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm done with this school and this whole place. I don't care about this, and if I don't care that this happened, can't we just forget it? Am I not the victim here?"

Finn and Kurt both had to restrain Blaine from leaping toward him.

"Blaine, cool it."

He looked at me and nodded, still furious.

I knew that Karofsky had a point, though. Regardless of how the tables had been turned in the past, he was the one with the right to accuse here.

Even though Karofsky had been the first one to shove Blaine, my kids had been the ones who'd actually done most of the actual attacking this time.

They'd let one minor incident be the catalyst to get all of their lingering frustration out.

It wasn't right, but I didn't blame them either. As much as I knew that kid was struggling, I wouldn't have minded punching him in the face myself a couple of times.

"Mr. Schuester, can't we just let this go? Let all of us move on with our lives?"

Paul was clearly in the same boat as I was.

He knew the situation, and he knew how tough it was for his son to deal with everything going on in his life as well.

"I'm sorry, but not quite."

Everyone was on the edge of their seats.

"School policy states that any major incidents this close to graduation must result in all parties involved not being able to be a part of the ceremony."

We were all stunned into silence.

No one could actually believe that those were the words coming out of his mouth.

"Mr. Schuester, you can't -"

"I can, Finn."

Finn's face fell even further, and my stomach was churning.

All three of them weren't going to walk at graduation. They had their hats and gowns already, but it didn't matter anymore.

Carole was going to scream when she heard about this.

"But I've watched this whole struggle unfold for so long now... and you might have noticed that we're _not_ in Principal Figgins' office right now."

He took a deep breath, and we all waited as patiently as we could.

"I guess I understand both parties. I understand why everyone is feeling the way they're feeling and how it escalated into this."

He turned his attention to the Karofsky's.

"But Dave, I think you should sit down with Ms. Pillsbury this afternoon. I know that you're working through your anger, and I know that it's the end of the school year, but I don't want you to leave this school with so much hate built up in your heart. I know that you're a good kid, and you've got a lot of talent that you just can't waste."

Dave nodded.

"Fine, yeah. I'll talk to her."

Mr. Schuester was still silent.

"So, um... can we go?"

"Yeah, Finn. Go home."

I shook Will's hand, and we all made our way out into the hall.

Honestly, there was nothing to say to them. I wasn't disappointed. I wasn't angry. I wasn't _happy_, but I wasn't mad at them either.

This was their thing, and this was their lives.

They'd dealt with him being an ass to them for too long, and since the forking thing didn't quite work out, well... I've always thought it was a good thing to get revenge every once and awhile.

They say forgive and forget, but I know better than that.

Especially because when someone messes with you the way Karofsky had messed with them, you never forget.

And you can't forgive.

You can just make yourself feel a little bit better about it by giving him a piece of your mind.

I asked Kurt to ride home with me, while Finn and Blaine rode together.

I knew that all of this was really about Kurt.

Finn and Blaine were pawns in the game, but it had started with Kurt from the very beginning, and I knew that it had to end with Kurt too.

We climbed into the truck, and as I turned on the ignition, I saw that Kurt was actually _smiling_.

"You alright?"

He turned to me.

"Oh, I'm just fine, Dad."

I flashed back to Jimmy O'Connor.

That energy, that power, that feeling that nothing in the world could ever turn against you. No way, not after something as incredible as that.

He was on top of the world.

He'd just slain the giant.

"What'd it feel like?"

The answer was immediate.

"Redemption."

He laughed and stared out the window.

"I think it might have actually been a wake up call for him. Maybe he's not quite as tough as he thinks he is. Maybe this actually meant something to him. I don't know."

He really was all grown up.

He'd tried to help this guy so many times with so little reward, and even when he had finally gotten some kind of revenge for everything that he'd done, he was _still _trying to help him. He still wanted him to turn his life around, be a better man.

It was almost like he'd planned it that way.

Start speaking in his terms, and maybe things'll be a little bit clearer.

"Other than having to cover up Blaine's cut with some concealer for the graduation photos, I see no downside to everything that happened. I say good riddance to bullies and... _high school_. And Ohio!"

I laughed.

Of course he was already thinking about taking graduation photos, and making sure that they were perfect was always essential.

"You're all ready for New York?"

Kurt swallowed hard and nodded his head a few times.

"I think I'm ready for the... idea of New York. The actual leaving part of it, though... well, as ready as I am to get out of this town and get on with living, I don't know. It's going to be weird not being able to drive down the street to the Lima Bean and to not go shopping with Mercedes on the weekends and to not come home to you and Carole everyday."

For a kid who'd been talking about nothing but how excited he was to go to New York, that was actually quite surprising to hear.

He was leaving every single thing that was familiar, and even though I knew that he wouldn't give that dream up for anything in the world, he was still eighteen years old.

He was still a boy who'd only been on an airplane twice in his life. And he was still a boy who was in his first committed relationship. And he was still a boy who leaned on me.

Just because he wanted to go to New York didn't mean that he wanted to give up _everything_ about Ohio.

"I'm excited... but I'm also sort of terrified."

He was scared.

And even though I was scared for him too, my heart knew that he was going to light that city up so bright they wouldn't even know what hit them.

He had every right to be terrified, but I knew that the moment he got started at NYU... those fears would be gone in a flash. He was too good and too talented to let something like that get him down.

"It's a big city, and as much as I love every single thing about it... it's still a huge change, you know?"

I just smiled at him and nodded.

He knew what I was thinking, and he knew that the change would always be cancelled out by that love.

"But at least I'm not doing it alone. And even though Blaine is as confident as ever... I'm still panicking a little bit, yes."

He had Blaine.

And he had Finn.

He was going to be just fine.

But there was still the confidence of it all.

"Blaine's as confident as ever?"

He sighed.

"Every time we talk about it, he has nothing but positive things to say about leaving. I haven't even told him that I've sort of been freaking out about it myself."

I laughed.

Of course Blaine had nothing but positive things to say about leaving.

Because _Kurt _had nothing but positive things to say about leaving.

And Blaine knew that if he broke, Kurt would break.

They were both going to be perfectly fine. They just needed to be honest with each other.

"You should."

He turned to me.

"I should what?"

"You should tell him that your scared, Kurt."

"No, I shouldn't."

I laughed.

"_Yes_, you should. Because you know good and well that he's scared too. And so is Finn. Like you said, it's a big change, and it's a whole new life. But you're three great people."

He smiled.

"And you'll only make New York City even greater than it already is."

He shook his head a few times and laughed.

"Honestly, what am I going to do without you, Dad?"

I laughed.

He still needed me. My little boy was graduating high school and going off to the Big Apple, but he still needed me.

He was going there without me, but he knew that no matter what happened, he'd always have me.

There was no _without_ dad.

Because I'd always be his dad, whenever he needed me.

"Oh, you'll think of something."

He laughed, and I knew that he was going to do the most incredible things with his life.

And I knew that New York City was going to be the greatest place for him to do them.

He was going to be amazing, and as sad, scared, and nervous as I was about him leaving, about all of them leaving, I was so excited for everything that was to come.

Still, that didn't keep Carole and I from tearing up a bit at graduation.

It was weird seeing the three of them in their red caps and gowns.

Carole might have taken upwards of a thousand pictures before, after, and during the ceremony, and they all looked good. Even Blaine, who'd been forced to sit still for a solid thirty minutes while Kurt made his eyebrow look like there was never a gash there in the first place.

They walked across the stage, one by one, as Principal Figgins gave them their diplomas.

It was surreal. It really was.

I was remembering how we'd gotten that far in the first place. It was an incredible journey, and I guess it was just one of those things that I always _knew_ would have to come one day... but was completely taken off guard when it did.

Things really were ending, and even though we had one more summer together... there is no feeling comparable to watching your kids take that final step in growing up.

I was so proud of them.

And when we all met up after the actual ceremony, I made a point to sling an arm around each one of them and make sure he knew that.

They took so many pictures with the glee club and the Warblers who'd said that they refused to miss it and all of their other friends that Carole's fingers actually started cramping up a bit.

She'd planned a great dinner for all of us to celebrate, and she was very enthusiastic in ensuring that it went perfectly.

"Tonight, no one is going anywhere. Nope, tonight we are just going to have a nice meal and enjoy each other like no one has ever even heard of college!"

Blaine laughed.

"That's what I like to hear... denial."

Kurt couldn't help but agree.

"Just call me Cleopatra."

Blaine and Carole laughed, but Finn and I had no idea what he was talking about.

I tried to play it cool, but I'm pretty sure it was actually impossible for Finn to hide a look of confusion from his face.

Blaine just stared at him.

"She was the Queen of... _de_ Nile, Finn."

Finn thought about it for a second and was then struck by realization through a fit of laughter.

Blaine chuckled along, and Kurt just shook his head.

That night was a great one.

Even though there were graduation parties left and right... they stayed at home and enjoyed that last little sense of normalcy before the summer began.

It couldn't have been more perfect, and Carole and I enjoyed every minute of it.

But I guess it was what happened at my shop that next day that made everything that had happened in that past year make perfect sense all over again.

"Hey, Burt?"

There he was, two cups of coffee and all. It was just cheesy enough to make me love it.

"Really?"

He laughed.

"Had to be done."

I took the cup of coffee from him and took a really good look at him.

He looked so different than he had only one year before.

No Dalton uniform, no bruise... no defeat.

Just a smiling kid, _my_ smiling kid who'd come to visit me at work after the most whirlwind year of his life.

It was a good change.

"You never fail for the theatrics."

He pulled out a stool and made himself comfortable.

"It's one of my many talents."

I laughed and went back to the car I'd been working on.

"You need anything?"

He put the coffee down and shook his head.

"Nothing at all. Just felt like bringing you some coffee at four P.M. on a Thursday."

He smiled, and it was honestly like he could read my mind.

I tightened a bolt and laughed.

"Some things never change."

He smiled and went back to his own drink.

He was comfortable and open and just so perfectly _relaxed_ there. He had me, and he had his coffee, and he was just hanging out as we'd become so good at doing in that past year.

I let the silence linger for a moment.

"Hey, you got those financial aid forms in, right?"

"Oh! Yes, sir, all done."

He immediately caught the mistake, and his face showed me just how confused he was that he'd even let that slip.

I just laughed.

"Really, Blaine?"

He smiled and tapped his thumb against his coffee cup.

"Some things never change, remember?"

I nodded.

Some things just never go away. Even if you wish that they had never come in the first place and even if you replace them with new things... there are some you just can't get rid of.

"I remember."

He took a deep breath, and I knew that he was gearing up for something pretty big.

"I was thinking about the first time I came in here. I mean... you know, last year."

I looked up at him and was surprised to see how concerned he looked.

"Oh, yeah?"

He nodded and wracked his brain for the right words.

"Why'd you do it?"

The car could wait.

"What do you mean?"

He laced his fingers and leaned forward.

"I mean... why'd you give a damn about me? You barely even knew me, and you dropped everything you had to do to help me out."

And there I was, dropping everything I had to do to help him out... again.

The answer was so simple and so immediate to me.

"Well, you love Kurt, right?"

He nodded.

"Of course."

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to find the perfect words to elaborate.

"Then you... you had to matter to me, you know? I knew how much he cared about you, and I knew how important you were to him, and I knew that, well... some things never change. And you're still so important to Kurt."

He smiled.

"And you're important to me too, Blaine."

He shook his head a few times, like he couldn't believe that _that _was really my answer.

"It was really that simple?"

I looked right at him.

"That simple."

He ran a hand through his hair, and I started back on the car I was working on.

"I guess I just got lucky... meeting Kurt when I did."

He laughed.

"I was running to an impromptu Warbler concert, and I didn't even notice him there. I was in such a hurry that I didn't even see the man who would change my life forever."

He took a moment to really think about that.

"But he saw me."

He paused.

"He's always seen me."

He looked up at me with a small smile on his face.

"I guess that runs in the family."

It was the one thing he wanted. To be seen, to be heard. To have a face and to have a voice.

And before he met Kurt... he didn't have any of those things at home.

There wasn't a father who loved him just for being him or a mother who craved to be a part of his life.

There wasn't a family to see him. To give him that recognition that he needed, that recognition that he deserved.

But then there was my son.

My son, who'd stopped Blaine on a stairwell one day with no clue what he was getting himself into.

My son, who'd fallen for the man who'd helped him deal with all of the horrible things he'd encountered in high school... only to find out that Blaine needed his help just as much.

My son, who always had the best eye for the most beautiful things in the world and was always ready and willing to shower them with all of the love that there was.

He brought Blaine to me.

And he brought Blaine to the life that he deserved.

"You and Kurt really are perfect for one another."

He smiled.

"You think so?"

I looked up at him.

"I'm not contractually obligated to say that, you know. It's the truth."

He nodded a few times.

"I love him."

"Yeah... yeah, I know you do."

I switched out tools, and I loved the huge smile that had spread across his face just at the thought of Kurt.

"I'm just so happy that we're actually going to New York together. Sometimes, I can't even believe that it's really happening."

I nodded, remembering what Kurt had told me earlier that week.

"So I've heard."

I went back to the car, and his smile fell slightly.

"What do you mean?"

I knew that it wasn't my place to tell Blaine what Kurt had been feeling. That was for Kurt, not for me.

I tried to cover it up.

"Oh... just that... just that Kurt is also very happy."

His smile fell even more.

"He said that?"

That was supposed to be a good thing, not something to panic about.

"Yeah, he did say that. Why?"

He sighed, and leaned back on the stool.

"Kurt has just been so... so confident about everything. I don't know how he does it."

He shook his head.

"I've been putting on the big face so that he doesn't think that I'm having doubts or anything."

He snapped forward.

"Not that I am, of course! No, I'm not. Really, I'm not. I'm just..."

He let out a breath.

"I don't want to lose this."

I should have known that at least one of us would end up with a lump in our throats the moment he walked into my shop.

I tried to shake it.

"You're not losing anything, Blaine. There's only to gain."

But he had tears in his own eyes, and there was no fighting it off anymore.

He was terrified.

Just as terrified as Kurt, if not more.

"But I'm... I'm losing _you_."

I had to keep it together.

"I'm always here. Whenever you need me, I'm here. Nobody loses Burt Hummel."

He tried to laugh but shook it off.

"What if I'm not ready for this? What if I'm not ready to leave?"

He was leaving the greatest thing he'd ever had.

He got one year with the family he never thought he'd get.

In one year, he'd had so many dreams come true.

In one year, he'd fallen in love, he'd fought and won, and he'd learned what it truly meant to have a family.

And if he could do that in one year... I knew that he could do this.

"You're ready. I know you are."

I nodded a few times.

"Because you're a strong kid, and this has been one hell of a year. I don't have to tell you that."

He laughed.

"But you're still standing here, right?"

He nodded.

"You made it to right here and right now, and you can make it anywhere. Especially New York City."

He wasn't ready to believe that just yet.

He nodded a few times, and he forced his tears to keep from falling.

"Can you promise me that?"

It was everything. Right then, _that_ was everything.

Everything that had ever happened, everything that we'd ever said or done... it all boiled down to that promise, to that certainty.

I had to smile.

"Yeah... I can promise you that."

He took a deep breath and let himself relax.

That was all he needed.

To know that I was there, that I believed in him, and that I would never make him a promise that couldn't be kept.

He went back to his coffee, and I went back to the car.

He laughed to himself.

"Hey, do you remember when I was still calling you Mr. Hummel?"

I laughed as well.

"Do _you _remember when you called me Dad?"

He nodded.

"After that run, yeah... I remember."

I sighed.

"And any of the other times?"

I looked up at him, and his eyebrows were raised in disbelief.

"There were other times?"

I laughed.

"When you were sick... and when you were drunk."

He ran a hand through his hair and tried to accept how that could be true without him remembering it.

"Wow, that's embarrassing. Sorry about that."

The last thing I ever wanted was an apology from him.

"I liked it."

He laughed.

"That I was sick and drunk?"

I looked up at him, and he genuinely didn't understand what I was saying.

"That you called me Dad."

His face was suddenly set in realization, and his smile widened.

"Really?"

I smiled.

"Really."

He nodded a few times and looked around the shop as if he was looking for someone, anyone to see what was happening right then.

He crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat.

"Then... then Dad it is."

I looked up from the car.

"What?"

He panicked.

"I mean, only if you're... only if you're okay with that. I'm sorry, is that -"

"Blaine?"

He nodded, waiting for me to give him the answer he'd wanted for his whole life, even without knowing it.

"Do it."

I went back to the car, and he opened his mouth as if he was going to elaborate.

But he thought better of it.

He knew exactly what I meant, and he knew that there was only one thing left to say.

"Done."

He stayed for awhile, and we laughed, and we talked, and I remembered for what felt like the hundredth time why I'd been there that May. Why I'd done everything that I'd done for that kid.

Because he was smart and charming and kind.

And because he loved my son and was the best thing that ever happened to him.

And because I loved him.

And when you love someone, when you love your kid, they always matter to you. No matter where they move to, no matter what they want to do with their lives, no matter who they love.

Because they're yours.

And you only get one shot at loving them right.

And that year with those three boys... well, that was right.

They're my sons, and I'm their father.

And even after the roller coaster that was that year...

I will always love saying that.

* * *

><p>I honestly can't even read this right now, because all of the tears are clouding up the screen, but thank you for reading. Thank you for everything.<p> 


	31. Epilogue: I Was There

First, I just want you to know that this epilogue is predominantly three things: cheesy, ambiguous, and short. I apologize in advance! :)

Three months ago, I hadn't written a single word of this story. I loved a television show, and I had an idea, and I wrote a one-shot because I couldn't get to sleep without putting it into words. I didn't think much of it, and honestly, I have no idea how all of you have put up with all of these crazy scenarios that have been running through my head. I have no idea how you're even still reading this right now. But you are, because you've been there for me in a way that I could never trust any of my "real life" friends or family to be there for me. You've risen me up when I've been feeling down, and you have inflated my ego to astronomical proportions. I have been so touched by every single one of you, and I just want to thank you from the very bottom of my heart and in the absolute sincerest way possible for making this one of the most memorable, incredible, spectacular, and genuinely amazing summers of my life. You are all such beautiful people, and I have loved getting to know you and hearing your stories and your thoughts through this crazy story that it took me months to even buck up the courage to write. You guys have proven to me that if there's something you love to do, _do it_. I can't keep living my life afraid of what other people are going to think or afraid that I won't succeed, because when you really give it your all and let yourself be vulnerable to criticism and reality, you always win. Every time, you've won, because you've taken that leap of faith, and you've put yourself out there. You guys have given me the confidence in creative writing that I never in a million years thought I'd have. You've let me share this adventure with you, and you've gone on a journey with me and these characters that all of us love so much, and you've helped me give them a life form in my own head that I never thought I'd be able to write down and share with you.

I'm in love with you guys. And even though this is the end of _this_ story, I will never forget how awesome all of you are and what you gave me this summer. You're the best fanfiction readers anyone could ever ask for, and I am so honored to have had all of you in my life for the last three months!

If you ever need _anything_, feel free to send me a PM here or on Tumblr at 1nceinyourlife. I'm going to miss all of you so much!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

For the very last time... enjoy!

* * *

><p>I was there at the end of that summer, when they all went off to New York.<p>

I was there to move them into their dorm rooms... and to help Finn bandage up his forehead when he fell off his lofted bed within the first twenty minutes of being in the room.

I was there for their first college musical.

I was there when Kurt and Blaine rescued a cat, only to discover that Kurt is incredibly allergic to them.

I was there when they graduated from NYU.

I was there when Blaine called me, telling me he'd finally picked the perfect ring.

I was there when Kurt called me, sobbing into the phone to tell me that Blaine had finally proposed.

And I was there when Finn called me, telling me that Kurt and Blaine had called _him_ and asked him to be their joint best man.

I was there for the ceremony, squeezing Carole's hand and letting tears flood my eyes as I watched Blaine officially become a Hummel man.

I was there to watch those two incredible, amazing boys fall in love with each other a little bit more every single day.

And I was there to hold you in my arms, the very first day you were born.

And I've been here to watch them love you and take care of you.

And just from the last few days, I've gotta say that they're doing a pretty great job, you know.

"Dad?"

Burt turned around in the rocking chair to find his son standing in the doorway, hands on his hips.

"Are you _still_ telling this story?"

Burt laughed.

"I most certainly am. I think she likes it."

He walked into the room and peeked into the crib at his sleeping daughter.

"She's six months old, you know. What have you been telling her?"

Burt sighed and cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, a little bit of this. A little bit of that."

He turned back to his dad.

"Let me guess... senior year?"

Burt shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"It's the best story to tell!"

He laughed and leaned against the crib, keeping his voice at a whisper.

"_Please_ tell me you left out the Robin mask story."

Burt shook his head.

"Nope, we definitely covered that one."

He groaned.

"And Alan the sand crab too?"

"Oh, yeah. He was in there. As well as the fairy tale story."

His jaw dropped.

"Wait... how did you know about that?"

Burt tried to catch himself, remembering that _that_ was a moment he was never supposed to hear.

"Finn never...?"

Burt left the question completely open ended, and there was nothing for him to do but wonder in confusion.

"Never... what, exactly?"

Burt sighed.

"I could have sworn that kid would have told you guys about all of the eavesdropping at some point. Who knew he could actually keep a secret?"

His jaw dropped.

"You used to _spy_ on us?"

Burt laughed.

"Well, of course I did! How else was I supposed to know what you two talked about?"

He laughed and shook his head.

"Honestly, Dad, that is unbelievable, and she is going to be scarred for life by those stories!"

Burt leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his laps.

"You think so?"

He balked.

"I was there for those too, you know."

Burt just laughed.

"Well, I'm sure that's a whole other story entirely."

Burt stood up, and the two men left Caroline to sleep without any further interruption.

"Thank you for being here these last few days, Dad. I've... I've really needed you."

He sighed and rubbed his temple.

"Between a sick husband and a fussy baby... well, taking care of both of them has just been a little bit over my head."

Burt clapped him on the back.

"You know I'm always happy to. Is he feeling any better?"

He shook his head.

"Not at all. He was coughing until three, and she was up at five. You know, they say you don't get any sleep once you have kids, but I never thought it'd be quite like this!"

They stopped at the front door, and Burt rested a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll get there. He always was needy when he got sick, wasn't he?"

He laughed.

"Still is. But would we really have it any other way?"

Burt laughed, and they hugged.

"Um, could I maybe ask if you could come over again tomorrow? I'm not expecting tonight to be too much better, and with all of this-"

Burt's face lit up, knowing that he'd never turn down an invitation like that.

"Whenever you want me to be here, I will."

He smiled.

"I would."

Burt nodded.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

He laughed and opened the door.

"Goodnight, Dad."

Burt got one last look at his son that night, one last look at the uncharacteristically disheveled hair and the tired eyes that were still so full of love, one last look at the boy who he'd watched turn into a man.

A man with a family, and a husband, and all of the happiness in the world.

With everything he ever wanted.

"Goodnight, Blaine."

* * *

><p>P.S. Have courage, and never forget that <em>you matter<em>.

Thank you for everything.


End file.
